


Diminishing Distances

by drainbamage954 (cats_cradle6766)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Biting, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, hybrids (people as partial animal)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5211725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cats_cradle6766/pseuds/drainbamage954
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chanyeol just wants to find out how to get closer to the new addition to their home, even if that may not be what Jongin appears to want.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diminishing Distances

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the stillnessismove (Chankai) exchange.

U＾ェ＾U 

Today is Tuesday.

Usually, Tuesday isn’t any more different, just the day that follows Monday and is right before Wednesday. Sometimes Tuesday means an extra hour in the park before it gets too dark. On some Tuesdays, there are extra treats and they’ll all have ice cream before bedtime.

Today is a special Tuesday. Today is _the_ Tuesday of all Tuesdays.

“Sit down,” Sehun says, yawning wide and scrunching up his nose as he walks into the kitchen late, his tail switching behind him irritably. “You’re being noisy.”

“Sehun,” Chanyeol looks up, smiling regardless of how it’s early. He’s been up since, well, dawn. He couldn’t sleep last night. He never can when they’re getting someone new to the house, and since Kyungsoo mentioned that he’d be going to the District today, Chanyeol hasn’t been able to focus on much else. “Sehun, today is Tuesday.”

“Fantastic,” Sehun grumbles, flopping onto the table and laying his cheek on it, ears twitching in his tawny hair. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“Well, it should,” Chanyeol tells him, trying to kick his feet from under the table. Sehun scrunches up his nose again and shifts, curling his legs under him as he scowls at Chanyeol. “Kyungsoo is going to be bringing home another Pet today.”

Sehun’s only indication that this is remotely of interest to him is the slow arch of one eyebrow. “What kind of Pet?”

“Same as you,” has Chanyeol spinning in his chair to look to the doorway. Minseok smiles as he walks in, hair already fixed and properly dressed (which is more than can be said for Chanyeol and Sehun).

“Me?” Chanyeol asks, feeling his heart jump. He almost bounces in his seat, tail thumping but instead just holds onto the edge of the tablecloth in his lap.

“No,” Minseok says, a slight laugh in his voice. “Kyungsoo is going to pick up another cat, like Sehun.”

“As long as its not another stay,” Sehun grunts, finally pushing himself up to pull a bowl and cereal from the cabinet, letting his tail brush Minseok as he passes. Minseok flinches as it twitches towards his face, leaving Sehun to smirk. “I don’t want another Baekhyun.”

“Excuse me, I’ve been a magnificent addition to this hovel,” Baekhyun yips, bounding into the kitchen. He grins, full of morning havoc, before catching sight of Minseok. “Are we getting a puppy?”

“No, a kitten,” Chanyeol says, and smiles despite Baekhyun’s slight falter. “Kyungsoo said that he was going to be coming in from an old family that couldn’t keep him or something. I’m not sure but he’s only been held at the District for a few weeks, and all his paperwork is good.”

“No more strays for you,” Sehun says, looking smug as Minseok has to bat his tail away again.

“When is he going?” Chanyeol asks, turning to Minseok.

“He should be headed out soon actually,” Minseok says, throwing Sehun an annoyed look as Baekhyun flops into an open chair at the table. “You can probably catch him before he heads out.”

Kyungsoo is standing by the front door, pulling his jacket on and looking preoccupied with his thoughts when Chanyeol finds him. He looks up as he hears Chanyeol and smiles a small smile, looking up at him. “Hey, Chanyeol.”

“Are you going out to get him?” Chanyeol asks, wanting to ask if he can come along, if he can help, if he can be there. “Do you need-“

Kyungsoo lets out a soft laugh, reaching up and Chanyeol bends automatically to get his hair ruffled, letting out a small whimper. He wants to go, really badly. He almost fists his hands in Kyungsoo’s jacket and _pulls_ but he knows better. “No, I don’t need to you to come with me,” Kyungsoo answers before Chanyeol can finish his proposal. “I’m fine. You know I’ve done this before.”

“Well,” Chanyeol heaves a heavy sigh, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, too much energy running through him to stand still as he watches Kyungsoo. “Is there anything-“

“Well, I wanted to make sure his room was ready before I left,” Kyungsoo finishes, glancing up at Chanyeol. “And Minseok has errands today so he can’t-“

“I can do it,” Chanyeol says quickly, shaking his brown bangs from his eyes and smiling, feeling his ears flop slightly. His tail wags excitedly behind him. He’s always liked helping out Kyungsoo and Minseok, ever since they brought him home. Then it had just been Lu Han and himself, before the others all came home one by one. “I can get stuff in order. I know what to do.”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo says, offering him another smile and ruffling his hair again. Chanyeol can’t hold back the smile on his face, leaning into the touch and bumping Kyungsoo’s hand for more, earning a small laugh. “I should be home in about two hours or so.”

“Okay!” Chanyeol says, nodding firmly and standing straight. “I’ll be here. I’ll get Baekhyun to stop, I dunno, bothering Junmyeon all day and make sure Sehun and Zitao aren’t off and-“

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo interrupts, a brief shadow passing over his face. “Maybe it’s best if we just,” he breaks off, frowning slightly. “Just be nice, okay?” Kyungsoo says, and gives him a softened but pointed look.

“Of course!” Chanyeol chirps, slightly taken aback. “Don’t worry, I will. I’ll be good, Kyungsoo. I’m always good.”

Kyungsoo just nods, before he turns and walks out the door, closing it easily behind him.

U＾ェ＾U 

Chanyeol has been living with Kyungsoo for close to seven years. He and Lu Han were brought home from the District around the same time. Chanyeol can’t really remember that well, the whole thing mixed together with things he never thinks about, but he remembers Kyungsoo.

He remembers Minseok, a year later, smiling and moving in to help. He remembers Kyungsoo teaching him how to clean, to read, to write, to wash dishes without breaking them. He remembers sleeping in the warm piles of laundry with Lu Han, the cat’s tail tickling his cheek before he’d fall asleep.

Chanyeol remembers when Kyungsoo brought home Junmyeon, a pup that didn’t trust anyone and smiled like he had a pencil between his teeth. He remembers Junmyeon and Lu Han’s screaming matches, and he remembers how it took weeks before Junmyeon would let anyone aside from Kyungsoo touch him. He remembers when Yixing showed up a few weeks after Junmyeon found his way to sleep with Chanyeol and Lu Han.

Chanyeol remembers how Yixing’s ear was torn but he still smiled and hugged everyone and how Junmyeon seemed to soften to him almost immediately.

Chanyeol remembers when Kyungsoo brought home Sehun, who didn’t speak and followed Kyungsoo and Lu Han around, always holding onto them. He remembers how Sehun used to be silent through meals, and how Lu Han stopped sleeping with him and Junmyeon to stay with Sehun. Chanyeol knew it was so he wouldn’t cry.

The years blurring together, the small caring touches and guidance and assistance from Kyungsoo and Minseok, soft places to fall. Softer places than most of them have ever had. The days when Zitao was brought in, latching onto Sehun just as Sehun was finally beginning to speak. The day when Minseok brought in Baekhyun and it was never quite as quiet but Kyungsoo would hide his laughter as Minseok got very good at scolding.

Chanyeol remembers the morning he woke up and Lu Han was gone. He remembers his panic, how Sehun turned white, and how Zitao looked about to cry before Kyungsoo found them all in a heap. How Minseok had laughed and pulled a whibbling Yixing into his lap, petting down his ears as Kyungsoo explained Lu Han was on a trail.

“Trial for what?” Sehun had asked first, looking mildly offended and overly suspicious.

“Adoption,” Kyungsoo told him, evenly and calmly.

Chanyeol has never understood why Lu Han left, hugging them all goodbye, ruffling Sehun’s hair affectionately and kissing Yixing’s cheek gently before he left with a human Chanyeol didn’t know. For Chanyeol, the only humans he needed were Kyungsoo and Minseok.

They were his family. All of those here, all of the Pets, from scattered places and histories, are all his family. They’ve all been the same for so long, almost two years since Baekhyun arrived and they were given separate rooms (the sleep pile in the middle of the floor running out of the realms of practical).

Even then, Chanyeol can still find the excitement over a new addition, sitting on the couch in the living room with knees bouncing and unable to concentrate on the game he and Sehun are playing. His mind is on the clock, on the front door, on the room that they set up for the new arrival, on the new chair Minseok bought last week and brought to the table. On the new coffee cup in the cabinet that Chanyeol had picked out by himself. It has puppies on it, just like him, so he hopes that the new Pet will like it. And him.

“What if he doesn’t even like hot drinks?” Sehun asks, glancing up from his hand of cards. “What if he hates you Chanyeol?”

“Then he’ll definitely hate you,” Baekhyun says before Chanyeol’s heart can plummet out of his chest. Sehun pokes his tongue out at Baekhyun and Baekhyun wags his own out of his mouth.

“Manners,” Junmyeon yips from the armchair where he’s reading one of Minseok’s books, his ears twitching gently.

Chanyeol opens his mouth to say Sehun never listens to Kyungsoo when he tries to scold him, but then the sound of the front door opening resounds through the house and he stiffens, still and ears twitching. The room has gone silent, all of them looking towards the entrance hall.

The door opens, echoing in Chanyeol’s ears and his hand of cards goes flying, nose filling with a new foreign smell as Sehun hisses at the ruined game. He can hear Kyungsoo saying something quietly as he flips over the back of the couch and shuffles as fast as he can to the front door. Chanyeol turns the corner to see Kyungsoo standing in the front hall, looking up at a tall cat with soft black hair and black ears, a long black tail switching slowly.

Whatever Kyungsoo had been saying gets drowned out as Chanyeol lets out an excited yip, his heart pounding in his chest. Kyungsoo’s eyes flash to him, widening. The cat jumps, hair going on end as he jerks to look at Chanyeol, dark eyes wide and looking affronted, lips pouting in dislike. His shoulders are hunched up a little, and he looks nervous but so handsome, something about his cheeks and pouting lips sending an excited rush through Chanyeol.

“Hi,” Chanyeol says, slightly breathless. He can feel his tail wagging aggressively behind him, probably giving away how excited he is. He can smell the new kitty, like everything strange and interesting and Chanyeol just wants to get more, see what he’s like, and where he’s been.

Probably places Chanyeol has never been before, never even knew existed before.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says, slowly and with a soft touch to the cat’s arm, which makes him jump. Chanyeol’s bones vibrate with _cute_. “This is K-“

“Jongin,” the cats says quickly, voice soft and deeper than Chanyeol might expect, the soft sound melting with his dark eyes and the switch of his tail.

“Hi, Jongin,” Chanyeol says, smiling in welcome as the cat shifts to push his shoulders back, standing up straight. His face doesn’t really change, and he doesn’t smile back, instead just continuing to do nothing but stare back. “I’m Chanyeol. I live here, just like you now!”

Jongin doesn’t say anything.

“Anyway, you have your own room,” Chanyeol barrels on, stepping forward to help Jongin get inside because he seems pretty stuck in the door space. “But most of us just like to all sleep together. So you can do that too. And we all eat together, and talk together, and play games. Do you like to play games? I love games, we should play games together.”

Chanyeol _means_ to reach out and offer a hand to Jongin, the new cat still staring at him with wide eyes, tail swishing behind him as his ears twitch back. Chanyeol _intends_ to just shake hands with Jongin, maybe pull him into the house, but instead of accepting his handshake, Jongin just stands there and leans back, flinching.

And Chanyeol sort of trips and keeps going. Maybe Jongin was confused. Maybe Jongin didn’t understand shaking hands, not having a history of doing it, and Chanyeol makes up for it? By jumping a bit to recover from stumbling and Jongin smells so interesting and Chanyeol’s tummy jumps in excitement.

Kyungsoo’s shout of, “Chanyeol!” is a little too late, as Chanyeol reaches out with long arms to wrap around Jongin in full welcome and Jongin’s whole face pinches. Then he lets out a high shriek, and Chanyeol’s arms close on nothing, and he’s left blinking and stumbling in shock as something collides loudly with the wall behind him.

Jongin is gone, one shoe taken off in entrance hall and Kyungsoo looking at Chanyeol in tired disapproval. Chanyeol turns just in time to see the end of Jongin’s tail whip around the edge of the hall and hear a loud thump, which he winces at, before looking back at Kyungsoo. His ears droop, and his tail has definitely stopped wagging excitedly.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo sighs, arms folding over his chest as he looks up at the sagging pup.

“I just wanted to say hi,” Chanyeol says, shoulders drooping a bit as he looks balefully at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo lets out a soft sigh, one eyebrow raising slowly, a sure sign Chanyeol hasn’t done the thing he was supposed to. Chanyeol winces.

“I told you to be nice,” Kyungsoo says and his voice is soft, not quite a reprimand but it’s almost worse because Chanyeol now feels like he’s _disappointed_ Kyungsoo and that makes him feel even worse.

“I was trying to be nice,” Chanyeol mumbles, letting Kyungsoo push him back into the main house with his fingers at the edge of Chanyeol’s elbow. “I just didn’t know he wouldn’t like me.”

Kyungsoo lets out a soft chuckle. “Next time, just try to be a little more, well, quieter, I guess.”

“I just,” Chanyeol lets out a sigh. Jongin had looked so soft, his fluffy black ears and long sleek tail. “He looked like he could use a hug. I didn’t know he didn't like hugs. I thought everyone liked hugs. Was it me?”

Kyungsoo makes a soft sound that might be a light laugh, and Chanyeol glances over to him, ears raising a little. “Probably not,” Kyungsoo tells him, patting his elbow lightly. “Just try to, well, not jump on him next time.” He smiles a little up at Chanyeol. Chanyeol can’t help but smile back a bit, tail starting to wag again in hope behind him as he leans into Kyungsoo’s hand when it raises to ruffle his fluffy brown hair.

(=｀ェ´=) 

Jongin’s skin prickles. His ears twitch, catching every sound and his tail flicks irritably, making him purse his lips. He hates cars. He never likes them.

They mean the vet, and shots, and being poked. They mean tracking devices and latex gloves.

They mean rough hands and snapping fingers, harsh grips at the back of his neck.

“Kai?” Jongin doesn’t mean to flinch, and he sees Kyungsoo’s expression go concerned in the seat beside him. He didn’t mean to make Kyungsoo worry. Kyungsoo is being kind to him, taking him to a place where he can be safe, where he’ll be okay, giving him a home. “We’re almost there.”

“Okay,” Jongin says, voice quiet as he doesn’t want to be too loud. He’s nervous, the rattling sounds and motion of the car already making him jumpy, wishing he could just go and curl up and hide. He wishes he could say more to Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo has stopped talking so Jongin should too.

“There are two other cats there,” Kyungsoo says after they turn down another street and the car slows down. “And we have three dogs. They’re very nice though, and no one will make you do anything you don’t want to.”

“Okay,” Jongin says again, giving a slow nod as he watches Kyungsoo, following his movements. Kyungsoo is calm, careful and keeps glancing at him, giving him small reassuring and warm smiles. Jongin can feel some of that warmth begin in his chest, and when he offers a small nervous smile back, Kyungsoo’s widens.

Kyungsoo has a cute smile.

Jongin’s tail twitches a bit in his lap. Jongin closes his fingers around it and holds on, trying to keep breathing as they stop in front of a gorgeous and large house. He swallows. He’s never seen a house like this before, with three floors and a yard.

It looks expensive and with lots of places where he can find and curl up in.

“What are the other cat’s names?” Jongin ignores the small quiver in his voice, trying not to sound as scared as he is. He’s met other cats before, and most of them liked backing him into corners and telling him they were in charge. Jongin hasn’t met the ones like Kyungsoo talks about, who sleep wound together and box each others ears playfully instead of aggressively.

“Sehun and Zitao,” Kyungsoo tells him, smiling warmly as he unbuckles himself. Jongin does the same, getting out of the car and squinting in the bright sunlight. He feels a little sick from the ride, and just wants to lie down for a bit. Find a soft dark place hidden from the world and nestle down for a while.

Maybe he could have someone pet him and feel safe. Maybe he could curl up like Kyungsoo said with others and not feel so alone and distanced from warmth.

Jongin would like that.

Jongin likes what Kyungsoo talks about, the idea of _family_ and the concept of _home_ and it sounds so happy.

“And there are dogs,” Jongin says, glancing over at Kyungsoo as he pulls his small bag of belongings from the floor space and follows Kyungsoo to the front door. It smells nice, like outdoors and others. The smell of other Pets also fills his senses, but they’re not anxious and tense like back in the District.

They’re unthreatening.

“Yes,” Kyungsoo says, stopping just by the door and turning to him. “I told you their names earlier.”

“Baekhyun,” Jongin says, his ears twitching at the sounds of voices inside, wetting his lips as Kyungsoo watches him patiently. “Junmyeon, and-“

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo finishes when Jongin goes quiet, struggling on the last one. “They’re all nice. They won’t hurt you.”

“Right,” Jongin says, and ducks his head a bit as Kyungsoo opens the door.

“You have your own room,” Kyungsoo continues to explain, his softer soothing voice quiet as they step inside. “You can rest there if you’re tired. You can also join us for dinner and everyone can meet you then. Unless you’d like a little time to get adjusted first.”

“I can come to dinner,” Jongin says abruptly, getting Kyungsoo’s eyes to widen a little. Jongin wets his lips, eyes flashing between Kyungsoo and anywhere else. This is Jongin’s new home, and he wants to be here. With others. Others to play with, to talk to and get to know and laugh with. To curl up with and take naps with. Jongin wants that, knew he wanted it when Kyungsoo talked about it to him two weeks ago.

Expression softening, Kyungsoo looks up at him and smiles. “I’m glad,” he says and looks to say something more before a flurry of movement has Jongin’s ears twitching, jumping a bit and turning quickly, feeling his muscles tighten automatically.

Dog. He can smell dog. Very strong dog.

Dog standing just in the hall and looking excited with big eyes and a vigorously wagging tail, staring at him. He’s big, bigger than Jongin and Jongin’s mind goes blank. His nerves twang every time the dogs tail thumps against the wall loudly.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says slowly beside him, clearly sensing Jongin’s tension. Jongin wants to get to know the other Pets, he wants to make friends, he wants- “This is K-“

“Jongin!” he blurts out quickly, never wanting to be called by that _horrible_ name again. He doesn’t want others to call him by it any more. He doesn’t want that life anymore, he’s here to make a new life, with new people and Pets. He wants a place of happiness and love.

“Hi, Jongin!” Loud. Chanyeol is loud. Jongin’s ears twitch back, flinching because _loud_. Jongin remembers loud, loud yelling and he wants to hide. Loud, loud, loud when he just wanted soft. Jongin just wanted nice touches and not rough hands and his ears flatten because _loud_.

Jongin wasn’t going to be scared again, he told himself that when he got into the car with Kyungsoo this morning. Jongin promised he wouldn’t be scared, but the last time someone came too fast at Jongin flashes before his eyes and he acts before he can think.

The wall hurts as he runs into it, heart pounding and tail puffing out, skin cold with latent shock as he runs down the hall, trying to find a place to hide, a place away. Jongin turns a corner, down a hall, barely misses running into another human before he tumbles into the room at the end, door half open. Tumbles forward and into a pile of something that feels like clothing and curls in on himself, trembling.

Breath racing, and heart pounding, Jongin squeezes his eyes shut, suddenly feeling horrible and guilty. He didn’t want to do that; he didn’t mean to do that. The dog hadn’t meant to hurt him; Jongin knows that. Chanyeol didn’t come to grab him, just probably hug him or something and Jongin just ran away from him so violently.

Chanyeol probably is angry.

Jongin winces, curling up tighter on himself, knees pulling to his chest and letting out a heavy sigh. It’s all new and unfamiliar. Jongin isn’t used to this, to the loud sounds from down the hall outside the door, to wondering if they’re going to come in and pull him out to meet everyone.

To not knowing if he wants them to or not. Jongin doesn’t know what he’ll say if they do. Jongin isn’t used to talking much, instead keeping quiet, keeping to himself and being locked out of rooms when he just wanted someone to pet him.

Jongin sighs, his tail tucking further around him as his ears strain to hear what the others are saying. The clothing he’s tumbled into appears to be in one of the other Pet’s rooms, smelling a little stronger than Jongin would expect from a cat, the smell of dog much stronger here, though it mixes with cat. The shirts Jongin is lying on are definitely dog though, mixed together with two different ones.

Jongin closes his eyes, breathing in and trying to calm himself down. Kyungsoo had told him that he would have time to adjust, to get used to being here. That it would be okay.

Kyungsoo told him they wouldn’t make him go back to District.

Jongin bites his lip and slowly untangles himself, looking around.

There is a soft knock on the door when Jongin is just getting up and poking around a bit, curious at how there can be so much clothing just tossed around. Jumping, Jongin flinches back from one of the desks and turns swiftly to the door, seeing a smiling Kyungsoo.

“This is Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s room,” Kyungsoo says before Jongin even has to say anything. “Your room is next door, between Sehun and Zitao’s. I put your bag in there for you.”

“Thanks,” Jongin says meekly, following Kyungsoo out, shuffling quickly to follow him closely. Kyungsoo feels warm, safe. Jongin likes him.

The room Jongin is going to stay in is clean, with a nice dark blue bed set that looks soft and welcoming and his own desk and set of dressers. The window is open and lets in a soft breeze, smelling of outside and flowers, grass tickling Jongin’s nose.

“Dinner will be in a few hours,” Kyungsoo tells him, when he’s watched Jongin poke around the room for a bit. “You can meet the others before then or whenever you’re comfortable.”

Jongin wants to say something, to apologize for his earlier behavior, to thank Kyungsoo for bringing him here, for giving him a home and for being so patient and kind with him. Jongin wants to tell Kyungsoo that he’s scared, that he doesn’t know if the other Pets will like him. Jongin’s stomach twists nervously as he wants to say everything and it all tumbles out into, “thank you.”

If Kyungsoo expected more, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he just smiles kindly and nods. “Of course,” he says, and leaves Jongin confused and warm and fluttery, tail swishing to tickle the backs of his ankles.

No one comes in and talks to Jongin, instead letting him get used to his room, slowly pulling out the small assortment of things he has from his bag and putting them where _he_ wants them. He smiles to himself, curling up on the soft bed just for him and looking around him.

It’s strange, but he likes it, feeling a little bit more at ease as his eyelids begin to feel heavy.

He should go and talk to the others, introduce himself and get to know them, say hello and learn who they are and put faces with the names he knows. Jongin’s heart jumps a little at the idea, and his tail twitches behind him, not liking the idea much either. Jongin sighs, pushing his nose into his new pillow, rubbing his face in and making it smell like _him_.

It would be better if he went to that dog and told him sorry. Told him he wasn’t mad, and hope that the dog wasn’t mad at him.

Jongin lies, face half buried in his pillow and tail flopping on the bed beside him in irritation as he tries to work out what to say over and over.

The other human, who introduces himself as Minseok, comes by and tells Jongin when dinner is ready. Jongin still isn’t sure what to say to him when he sees him, words getting twisted behind his teeth as he tries to think of something proper and it all backs up.

Everyone is seated when Jongin arrives, and they all look at him. With all those eyes on him, Jongin feels his skin prickle, hair rising as his nerves buzz, not used to all this attention. Not wanting it. He wants to hide, duck his head under the table and not see any of them.

The only empty chair is beside the dog from earlier. Chanyeol, if Jongin remembers. Chanyeol is looking at him with eyes Jongin doesn't know and ears that keep moving so Jongin can’t read them. He doesn’t smell angry, but there are so many smells Jongin can’t focus.

“Why don’t you sit down, Jongin,” Minseok says, gesturing to the chair beside Chanyeol.

Jongin wants to turn to Chanyeol when he sits down and say hello properly and tell him he’s sorry. Jongin wants to look at the table and tell them all hello and it’s nice to meet them and join them. Jongin wants to smile and laugh and get them all to like him.

Jongin’s hands are shaking in his lap, clenched together to hide it and he stares at his plate, not sure where to look first.

He jumps when someone taps his shoulder, looking up with a flinch to see Chanyeol’s face fall.

“Would you like some tuna casserole?” Chanyeol asks him, and his voice isn’t as loud.

“Thanks,” Jongin says, letters almost tumbling together so it comes out as a mumble.

Jongin should apologize now, right now when Chanyeol is looking at him. Jongin should crack a joke.

Jongin doesn’t know how to be funny.

Jongin really wants to duck under the table and hide. It feels like the whole table is watching him. It’s _embarrassing_.

Jongin never knows what to say.

Chanyeol looks away, his ears drooping and Jongin wants to reach out, tell him something, anything. His mouth opens only to fill with silence when Chanyeol turns back to him, suddenly grinning widely and speaking, loudly.

_Loudly._

“So you’re living across the hall from me, I guess.” Chanyeol’s ears are perked up on his head, and his tail is wagging behind him. Jongin knows because it’s hitting his hair and his ears twitch back. “Which is great, it means we can talk to each other. If you need anything, my door is always open. Literally, I never close it. I hate closing it. It’s like shutting out friends. So you can come by anytime. If I’m not there I’m probably with Baekhyun. We sleep together sometimes.”

Jongin’s ears are tilting back further on his head, leaning back because Chanyeol keeps leaning towards him and Jongin isn’t-

There isn’t a lot of space.

Jongin can’t breathe.

“He just is really loud sometimes, makes these yelping sounds before he sleeps but it’s okay, he’s not in pain or anything-“

“Chanyeol, shut up about my sleeping patterns and eat your dinner,” another voice barks across the table and Chanyeol jerks back, the sudden separation letting air whoosh into Jongin’s lungs.

Jongin finds out he’s practically leaned into the other cat beside him. A tall dark looking tom who smiles down at him with bowed lips and dark hooded eyes. Jongin almost curls back in on himself, not having been aware he was practically in the other cat’s lap.

Instead of cowering, Jongin sways away, sitting up in his chair and trying to hold himself tall, proper, looking at the other cat as equals. He gives him a brief customary once over.

The other cat smiles, and it’s not threatening at all. Jongin swallows. “I’m Zitao,” the cat says and his voice is soft, almost supple. His eyes drift down to Jongin’s plate and his black tail swishes behind him, curling at the tip. “Are you going to eat the rest of that? Tuna casserole is my favorite.”

“Yes,” Jongin says automatically, stiffening. He knows not to forfeit food. And he’s hungry. He picks up his fork resolutely.

“Oh,” Zitao seems to deflate a little bit but then he smiles. “By the way, it’s nice to have you here.”

Jongin blinks.

“You can sleep with Sehun and me if you get lonely tonight,” Zitao continues, scooping a huge chunk of tuna casserole onto his fork. “We’re in the room next to you.”

“Thanks,” Jongin says, quiet and getting a wide grin from Zitao before he turns to his dinner. The tuna casserole is delicious and Jongin almost licks his plate clean. He looks up when he’s done, catching Kyungsoo smiling at him and realizing everyone else is talking, chattering together.

Everyone is talking except him.

Jongin doesn't know how to jump in.

Another soft judge at his side makes him jump again, flinching as he turns to see Chanyeol giving him a side look. “You can finish mine,” Chanyeol says, smiling a little and nudging his plate towards Jongin, a bit of tuna casserole left. “I don’t like tuna that much.”

“How can you not like tuna?” Jongin says, aghast and Chanyeol’s eyes widen as Jongin stares. Not liking tuna is practically a carnal sin, it has to be.

“No idea,” Chanyeol says, voice a little softer and he pushes his leftovers onto Jongin’s plate.

“I don’t need your leftovers,” Jongin grumbles, despite how his appetite wails at him. Cats don’t need left overs, they’re better than that.

“Well, if you don't eat it, Zitao will,” Chanyeol says and, sure enough, Jongin can see Zitao eyeing his plate beside him.

Without a word, Jongin straightens, up, and takes a perfunctory bite of the casserole. Zitao wilts a little bit but then brightens up when Kyungsoo pushes the serving bowl towards him. Jongin glances at Chanyeol beside him, wanting to say thanks, to talk to him, and explain the situation earlier.

But Chanyeol is talking loudly with the other loud dog at the table and laughing and Jongin doesn’t know how to talk to him. He doesn’t know how to talk to him for the rest of the night as everyone piles onto the couch and there isn’t room for Jongin. The laughing comfortable pile looks too big and too intense and Jongin hesitates before Kyungsoo asks him if he’d like to help him wash up.

“We all do chores to help out,” Kyungsoo explains, handing Jongin a dish to try. “One of those is washing up. Since it’s your first night, I’ll help you out. Usually I have Chanyeol and Junmyeon doing this, because they don’t break as many things.”

“You mean because you don't trust Sehun,” Minseok laughs, depositing a few more dishes in the sink. “And Baekhyun isn’t being punished.”

Kyungsoo just smiles at him, obviously the two of them sharing a joke Jongin isn’t a part of yet.

The others filter in, grabbing stuff from the fridge or just passing through, and Jongin meets Baekhyun, the other loud dog who was talking to Chanyeol, and then Junmyeon, who is quieter and smaller. Jongin meets Sehun when Zitao drags him in to wheedle at Kyungsoo for some ice cream and getting swatted out by Minseok. Yixing says hello briefly before trodding back to the living room and dragging Minseok with him, chattering animatedly.

Jongin doesn’t see Chanyeol again, staying in the kitchen and chatting gently with Zitao who just wants to ask him everything and gently twines and untwines their tails.

It isn’t until Sehun slouches in with his shirt rumpled and tells them it’s time to sleep that Jongin realizes how tired he is. He follows Sehun to the bathroom, the gray cat tugging him along by the sleeve of his shirt. Sehun shoves him in to wedge between himself and someone else. Jongin looks up to see Chanyeol with a toothbrush shoved in his mouth.

Chanyeol just smiles wide at him around toothpaste froth and Jongin can’t speak with a toothbrush in his mouth.

Chanyeol tries anyway. “You know, if you are scared of the dark, you can keep your door open. Minseok never turns the hall light off and sometimes if there’s a thunderstorm we all sleep together in the living room. Just, you know, in case one of us is scared.”

Jongin spits out his toothpaste. “I’m not afraid of the dark,” he says, looking up at Chanyeol who is still wearing a toothpaste rim about his lips.

“Oh,” says Chanyeol, and Jongin can hear Sehun scoff beside him. He realizes maybe he was supposed to say something else. Jongin has no idea what he was supposed to say, and his tail flicks in irritation at the small flare of humiliation in his gut. “Well, if you _were_ I was also going to say my room has glow in the dark stars on the ceiling.”

“What Chanyeol is trying to tell you is he wants to sleep on you,” Sehun drawls from beside Jongin, his tail flicking up to tap Jongin’s butt lightly.

Jongin jumps.

“I’m okay,” he says and then bites his lip. Jongin _always_ sleeps alone. He hasn’t been able to snuggle up to someone since he was with his litter. He wasn’t allowed to.

Chanyeol is wearing a big oversized tee shirt that would probably drown him and shorts with animated bears on them. His tail is wagging absently behind him and he looks kind of comfortable.

Jongin has never told someone he wants to sleep on them though, not since he was locked out of rooms and told very firmly _no_. Jongin inadvertently shivers, turning to spit in the sink again to hide it.

“Well, anyway, like I said, my door is always open,” Chanyeol says and Jongin jumps as he feels a few pats to his shoulder.

Sehun snorts as Jongin flinches and stands up quickly, watching as Chanyeol walks from the bathroom, his tail drooping a little.

“I’m gonna call you Jumpy Jongin,” Sehun tells him, smiling widely to himself as his ears perk delightedly on his head, his tawny hair. “Coz you keep flying a mile every time anything happens.”

“Do not,” Jongin mumbles, turning to rinse out his mouth as Sehun laughs beside him, tail whacking against Jongin’s.

Chanyeol’s bedside light is on when Jongin stops by it, and Jongin almost wants to say something, biting his lip as his thoughts roll around, but nothing sounds good. He’s tired, having had a long day, and sighs, padding quietly into his room and leaving the door cracked, settling in bed.

Tomorrow, maybe he’ll wake up knowing what to say. Tomorrow he’ll have an idea of what to do.

Tomorrow, it’ll be okay.

Jongin curls up in bed, nestling into the warm blankets and letting out a soft sigh, trying to get used to the idea of _home_ as he drifts off to sleep.

U＾ェ＾U 

Today is Friday.

Mostly, Friday means going to the park after lunch and running around until Chanyeol can’t breathe and then running some more just because. Then it means falling over on top of Baekhyun and making sure Baekhyun can’t breathe either because it’s funny. Mostly, Friday means that they get to all watch a movie and Sehun will try to get them all to eat salted popcorn and Kyungsoo makes nachos but doesn’t share.

Except with Minseok.

Or Chanyeol when he pouts for long enough.

Today though, Chanyeol can’t concentrate on the park or nachos or whatever action movie he wants to watch instead of a horror film. Today, Chanyeol walks into Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s room and lies down on Baekhyun before saying hello.

Baekhyun ‘oofs’ at him loudly, then tries to kick him off. “You’re like a piano of a person, get off before my ribs break.”

“I don’t think Jongin likes me,” Chanyeol sighs into Baekhyun’s smelly bedspread.

“I don’t like you either,” Baekhyun tells him, grunting as he tries to shove Chanyeol off of him. “You’re too tall and you always hit me in the head with your tail. You’re terrible and smell funny.”

Junmyeon snorts loudly from the other side of the room where he’s still buried in blankets and his random unsorted laundry.

Chanyeol pouts at Baekhyun, a soft whine building in the back of his throat and Baekhyun sighs heavily, flopping back. “Okay, so you’re kind of okay.” Chanyeol’s tail thumps in satisfaction on Baekhyun’s bed. “So what’s up with you? Jongin told you he doesn’t like you or something?” Baekhyun works his face into a strange concerned look. It does not suit him.

“Well, no,” Chanyeol says, and rolls to curl up to Baekhyun, wiggling into his side. It’s more comfortable like this, snuggled together in a pile of warmth. “But he doesn’t really talk to me, and he avoids me. And he acts like he doesn’t want to be around me.”

“I told you, you smell bad,” Baekhyun says, thwapping him on the arm. Junmyeon snorts again from the other side of the room and Baekhyun throws a random article of clothing at him. Chanyeol frowns and Baekhyun laughs. “Kidding.”

Chanyeol’s tail thumps as he watches Baekhyun wiggle further down into his blankets, his hair a further mess and shaking some of the sleep from his face, yawning wide. “So?”

“Well, he’s new. He’s not used to you,” Baekhyun says, recovering from the yawn with a few long blinks. “He’s kind of quiet. Maybe you’re just too loud for him.”

“I’m not that loud,” Chanyeol says, shoving Baekhyun.

Junmyeon snorts really loudly this time, sitting up in bed to look over at them, hair standing in all directions except ‘normal’. “You two are the last people I’d refer to as regular volume. You make avalanches seem like timid crescendos.”

“I take that as a compliment, thank you Junmyeon,” Baekhyun woos back at Junmyeon, his voice dripping with sleaze. Junmyeon scrunches up his nose and his ears go back as he glares. Baekhyun turns back to Chanyeol. “Maybe just get to know him a bit, play with him.” Baekhyun perks up, bouncing a bit on the bed. “Everyone loves playing!”

Chanyeol grins, feeling a bit warmer inside as Baekhyun’s grin brightens his mood.

It’s easy at the park when Kyungsoo bundles them all out the door, Chanyeol and Baekhyun running ahead as Sehun refuses to run and lingers back with Yixing. Jongin seems torn, finally letting himself get dragged into the grassy lawns with Zitao to roll around as Chanyeol and Junmyeon race and battle Minseok for the ownership of the Important Frisbee. Baekhyun ends up ruining their game by jumping on Junmyeon during an important strategy move and Chanyeol laughs at both of them when they roll around.

He catches Jongin laughing too, and jogs up to offer him one of the balls Kyungsoo always brings with them. “Want to play?” he asks, holding out the bright blue ball to the dark cat.

Jongin blinks up at him, then looks at the ball, and finally squints back up at him in the sunlight. “Okay,” he finally says, and pushes himself to his feet.

Sehun and Yixing join them, all throwing the ball between them until Zitao bounds up and sits the whole group down in a circle, declaring duck and goose, using the ball as ‘run ball’.

On Chanyeol’s turn, he drops the ball on Kyungsoo and shrieks laughter as he runs for Kyungsoo’s spot and barrels into it, looking up grinning like mad to see Jongin laughing widely.

On Jongin’s turn, he circles the group three times, soft voice saying ‘duck’ over and over until he finally reaches Chanyeol and drops the ball on him, taking off like a shot around the circle.

Chanyeol catches him right before he gets back to his spot, tackling him to the grass, laughing loudly and when he looks up, Jongin is laughing too.

Chanyeol’s chest swells and his tail wags enthusiastically, feeling energy jump along his bones.

Jongin walks around the circle, a little smile on his face this time and drops the ball in Junmyeon’s lap, easily beating him around the circle and skidding into Junmyeon’s spot laughing brilliantly as he looks up at the frustrated face of Junmyeon.

Jongin’s eyes crinkle when he laughs and smiles, and his mouth draws back all the way to his cheeks and Chanyeol can’t help but smile too.

“You’re being weird,” Sehun tells him, lounging from his spot next to Chanyeol and flopping into him, tail curling next to him. “Stop staring, it’s weird. You’ll creep him out.”

Chanyeol tries not to stare. But then Jongin smiles at him from across the circle when he catches his eye, and Chanyeol is smiling again, tail thumping in the grass behind him as he sits up straighter. Then a blue ball drops into his lap and Chanyeol realizes Yixing has just named him goose far too late.

Chanyeol flops into the grass with a groan, losing this round as Yixing laughs gleefully and flops into his spot, breathless with giggles.

Chanyeol watches Jongin walk home with Sehun, chatting up at the front of the group with his ears high and tail swishing lazily behind him, shoulders held a little higher. It makes Chanyeol smile, seeing him look more comfortable.

Chanyeol helps Kyungsoo cook dinner than night and sits next to Jongin. He asks if Jongin can pass him the salt and Jongin does so and smiles at him a little, leaving Chanyeol to grin at his plate and wondering if Jongin will sit with all of them on the couch.

Chanyeol comes back from helping clear to see everyone but Jongin and Minseok clustered around the television. Sehun and Zitao win the argument, high fiving as Junmyeon grumbles at the selection of a horror movie.

Chanyeol sees the opening scenes and shivers, peeling himself from the corner of the couch and out from under Baekhyun and slinking off to his room to read instead. Passing Jongin’s room, he sees the light on.

Poking his head in, Chanyeol sees Jongin curled up on the floor, a book in his lap. Curious, Chanyeol asks, “aren’t you going to watch the movie?” and Jongin jumps, stiffening and looking up at him sharply.

He shakes his head. “No,” Jongin says, shoulders losing only a little tension. “I don’t like horror movies.”

“Me either,” Chanyeol says, wondering if Jongin would like company. Chanyeol wouldn’t mind reading together. They can both lounge around and read, backs together and shoulders touching. Maybe Jongin can tell Chanyeol what kind of books he likes. “What are you reading?”

“Nothing,” Jongin says, closing his book and putting it on the bed, pushing it beneath his pillow. “Why aren’t you watching the movie?”

Jongin hasn’t told him to get out, and Chanyeol walks into the room, taking a seat opposite Jongin, curling his legs under him. “I don’t like horror movies either,” Chanyeol tells him, watching how the tip of Jongin’s tail gently moves up and down on the floor next to him. “They’re scary and stuff just jumps out at you. I get enough of that just living with Baekhyun and Sehun.”

Jongin’s mouth tugs in a smile.

“Besides, Junmyeon doesn’t like them either. He just tolerates them because he hates not seeing the ending, has to know how it finishes, you know?” Chanyeol shivers, shaking his head so his ears flop a bit. “I don’t get it, but Baekhyun always teases him because he shrieks really loudly when stuff pops out.”

Jongin is smiling at him now, soft but there and Chanyeol smiles back.

“What kind of movies do you like?” Jongin asks, his fingers tugging at his pajama pants cuff. Kyungsoo took Jongin shopping for some new clothing yesterday. Chanyeol thinks he looks nice.

“Most,” Chanyeol says, leaning a bit to the side. “Except horror. Too scary. But I like action and adventure and romance.” Jongin’s ears twitch. “Do you like romance movies?”

“I dunno,” Jongin says, and Chanyeol widens his eyes.

“How do you not know?” Chanyeol asks, reaching out and poking the tip of Jongin’s tail. It flicks back at him and Jongin’s ears twitch again.

“I don’t watch a lot of movies,” Jongin says, frowning a bit and his lower lip pokes out. It reminds Chanyeol of Tuesday when Jongin got here and Chanyeol saw him frown with that same small pout and he thought _cute_. Chanyeol now also thinks _cute_ and pokes his tail again. Jongin flicks his tail back at Chanyeol, bopping his hand.

The tug at the corner of his mouth looks like a smile, and Chanyeol goes to sleep wondering what Jongin sounds like if he purrs.

Chanyeol wakes up the next morning and passes Jongin on his way out of the bathroom. Jongin looks half asleep and Chanyeol impulsively reaches up and ruffles his soft fluffy hair. Jongin flinches and wiggles away from him, pouting a sleepy scowl at him.

_Cute_ , says Chanyeol’s thoughts as he laughs.

At breakfast, Jongin steals the last piece of sausage from the platter. Chanyeol tries to sneak it, grinning teasingly as Jongin battles him with his fork, finally winning. Chanyeol still smiles though, noticing how Jongin’s shoulders are so relaxed, and his tail just lazily curls in the air behind him.

The next afternoon, Chanyeol flops on the couch with Jongin, bouncing his book out of his lap and Jongin’s ears twitch. Jongin flicks Chanyeol’s knee with his tail, frowning with that small pout and Chanyeol grins. Jongin keeps looking up as Chanyeol inches closer to him, wondering what Jongin is reading, wondering if Jongin would curl up to him like Lu Han used to.

Lu Han was never very good with personal space. Mostly in the fact that he acted as if it was entirely circumstantial and mostly didn't exist.

Jongin’s tail flicks as Chanyeol pokes it, wiggled onto the middle cushion by now. Chanyeol wiggles further down into the cushions, eyes trailing to Jongin, who hasn’t turned the page in ten minutes. He licks his lips before finally reaching over and gently poking Jongin’s knee.

Jongin’s ears twitch. He doesn’t turn the page.

Chanyeol pokes his other knee. Jongin’s tail whacks Chanyeol in the tummy and Chanyeol lets out a surprised yelp, nearly jerking off the sofa. When Chanyeol looks back, Jongin is fighting down a grin, his eyes creasing.

Chanyeol pokes him in the tummy and Jongin yelps, scrunches up, almost rolling off the couch as he kicks out and hits Chanyeol in the chest with his foot. Chanyeol isn’t sure what happens, but someone shoves (probably him) and the other laughs with a yell, and they tumble off the couch. Jongin is laughing, and it leaves a happy bubble to gurgle up through Chanyeol from his tummy that busts out of him in laughter too.

Jongin’s face is all creased as he smiles, scuffling and snuffling, pushing and shoving as he and Chanyeol roll around the floor, trying to pin each other down. Every time Chanyeol gets Jongin under him, Jongin arches up and manages to wiggle out from under him, and Chanyeol is breathless from laughing and play fighting and happiness. His head is spinning, from being tumbled over and over and just when he finally gets Jongin pinned, Jongin snuffling and pushing hard against his chest, Chanyeol pushes down and leans in and nips playfully at Jongin’s soft black ear.

A hard shove, a shriek and Chanyeol is tumbling back, reeling in surprise and feeling stinging down his arms and chest, eyes wide. He barely sees Jongin’s tail whip around the corner before he realizes what happened.

Heart beating wildly, Chanyeol stares wide eyed and feeling that full feeling in his chest fill, the soft feeling of Jongin’s ear lingering against his lips as he wonders what he did wrong.

U＾ェ＾U 

“You bit him,” Sehun sighs at him, snapping his tail to flick Chanyeol’s nose, making him flinch. “You can’t just bite us. We’re _cats_.”

“I bite you,” Chanyeol tells him, sitting on the toilet with his shoulders drooping and ears hanging low. He’s moping but he’s upset. “And Baekhyun and Junmyeon and everyone.”

“You don’t bite Yixing,” Sehun says, looking at him sharply as he pauses from fixing the new haircut Minseok took him to get.

“Yixing is a _bunny_ ,” Chanyeol points out heavily. “I thought we were having fun,” he adds, voice quieter. Jongin had been laughing, and smiling, and _playing_ with _him_ and it had all been going so _well_.

Then Chanyeol went and messed it all up.

“Well, maybe Jongin doesn’t like it when you bite him,” Sehun speculates, turning back to the bathroom mirror and away from Chanyeol. “Maybe you’re not close enough to bite each other. You’re just like, the not biting friends.”

“All friends bite each other,” Chanyeol grumbles, flopping over and leaning against the sink, looking up at Sehun. He can almost see up Sehun’s nose. It’s kind of funny. Chanyeol reaches up to see if he can shove his fingers up Sehun’s nose and Sehun swats his hand away with a pointed huff and scowl. Chanyeol grins.

“Not all friends,” Sehun says, adjusting his shoulders superfluously. “Some friends wash each other instead. Like Zitao and myself for instance.”

“So I should give Jongin a tongue bath?” Chanyeol says, frowning and feeling confused at how his tummy gurgles.

“God, Chanyeol you really are stupid,” Sehun sighs, flicking him in the nose with his tail before flouncing from the bathroom.

Heaving a sigh, Chanyeol leaves the bathroom, following after Sehun and walking back in the direction of the kitchen, thinking of getting a snack and seeing if Jongin wants to share it with him.

A soft sound has him looking up, just in time to see Jongin dart into Sehun and Zitao’s room and Chanyeol’s heart suddenly feels heavy in his chest.

He’s made a mistake, a big one judging from how Jongin is now _avoiding_ him. It had been okay when Jongin was a bit cold, clearly not used to this new house and them and Chanyeol. Chanyeol likes Jongin, and he wants to hang out with him, Jongin wiggling out from under his arm when he puts it around his shoulder or initially wiggling away from him when he’d sit with him on the couch.

But now Chanyeol has gone too far.

He just wanted to play, but now he’s messed up everything.

Sighing heavily, Chanyeol walks into the kitchen and flops down at the table, pillowing his head on his arms and hiding his face.

“Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo sounds concerned, and Chanyeol lets out a soft whine when he feels Kyungsoo’s fingers ruffle through his hair. “You okay? Are you sick?”

“Jongin hates me,” Chanyeol sighs to the tablecloth, feeling heavy with remorse and futility.

“What?” The scrape of a chair tells Chanyeol that Kyungsoo has sat down beside him, the petting still happening to his hair telling him Kyungsoo is worried. Chanyeol lets out another sigh, and sniffs back the urge to get upset. “What happened?”

Turning his head to the side and looking at Kyungsoo from under the fringe of his hair, Chanyeol lets out another sigh. “I just wanted to play with him, Kyungsoo,” he says, feeling tired and terrible. “I just wanted to get to know him and play with him. I didn’t mean to hurt him and I never meant to make him hate me.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, a furrow developing between his brows as his hand stills in Chanyeol’s hair. “What happened?”

“We were rough housing,” Chanyeol explains quickly. It wasn’t his fault, except it was his fault. He just didn’t mean to do something bad. “And it was fun and he was laughing and I was laughing and then I pinned him and he looked so cute and so I bit his ear.” Chanyeol’s voice has started to shake and his ears are as low as they can droop.

He has _never_ felt this terrible. Ever. Not even when he accidentally broke the shower because soap was so much fun.

Kyungsoo lets out a breath he had apparently been holding, his hand going back to petting Chanyeol’s head. He even gets a small, relieved smile on his lips. “I don’t think Jongin hates you, Chanyeol.”

This is _wrong_ and Chanyeol jerks up to look at him, a race of indignation in his chest. “But he is avoiding me!” Chanyeol protests. “He wont talk to me or look at me and keeps running away from me because I _hurt_ him and I didn’t mean to and-“

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo interrupts him and shoves a hand over his mouth, silencing Chanyeol effective. The look Kyungsoo gives him has Chanyeol sitting back, wide eyed and listening. “I know you think he’s upset, but I don’t think he’s so upset he hates you.” Kyungsoo then smiles and Chanyeol doesn't get it. “I think he likes you a lot, actually.”

Chanyeol frowns, remembering the wide panicked eyes and the sting of Jongin’s claws on his skin, the bushy flash of his tail as he bolted away as fast as he could. “No, he doesn’t,” Chanyeol huffs, slouching with curved shoulders, looking away from Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo is just trying to comfort him. Jongin is still upset.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Kyungsoo tells him, standing up and ruffling his hair as he passes, fingers sliding to pet Chanyeol’s ear gently. Chanyeol leans into the touch, letting a faint smile grace his lips as he looks up at Kyungsoo. “You’re too loveable to hate.”

Chanyeol smiles, feeling just a little bit better.

(=｀ェ´=) 

Jongin doesn’t want to get out of bed. He quite likes it here, curled up under his blankets, with his tail tickling his nose. It’s warm and cozy and he doesn’t have to face the facts here. He can just hide and pretend he’s not still shaking.

He didn’t mean to startle like that, didn’t mean to scratch Chanyeol and hurt him. He didn’t mean to do any of that.

It was fun, and Jongin was _so happy_. Jongin has _never_ really been able to rough house before, tumbling around like that like he was a kitten again and playing was something he could do without being scolded. It was fun and he was laughing and could feel that bubble that felt like it was made of gold press inside his chest and just get _bigger_.

Jongin _wanted_ to play. He was having fun, he just hasn’t really been bitten before. It didn’t hurt, not really, it just shocked him, startled him. Jongin has never been bitten before, especially not by a dog.

Well, not while playing.

Jongin shivers, curling up a bit more under his covers and tucking his chin to his chest, ears flattening under the blankets. He sighs. He’s rough housed with Sehun and Zitao, but they only nip at each other, though Sehun swats at him. Yixing never bites him, only cuddling up to him when he naps and being a warm soft place when they visit the park and the sun is too bright to do anything but nap in.

But Jongin has seen how Baekhyun and Chanyeol romp and tumble and bite at each other, laughing and running around. He’s seen how Baekhyun tries to bite Junmyeon and Junmyeon will bowl him over until Baekhyun shrieks and scampers away. He’s seen how Chanyeol will even nip playfully at Kyungsoo and Minseok when he gets a little too excited.

Jongin squeezes his eyes shut, his stomach knotting itself tighter and tighter, the yelp from when he’d shoved Chanyeol back ringing in his mind. Jongin didn’t mean to hurt him, he hadn’t meant to do that, to scratch him and to scare him.

Chanyeol won’t even look at him, instead looking away and looking wounded, his big eyes wide and Jongin just wants to hide from it, not sure how to properly apologize. How to tell Chanyeol he was shocked, and he didn’t mean to.

He _likes_ Chanyeol. He would never really hurt him. He just doesn’t know what to do, the words of wanting to know what if feels like to have Chanyeol’s warmth at his back escaping him. He doesn’t know how to ask if Chanyeol minds if Jongin crawls on him and pushes against his chest, listening to his breathing and heartbeat with his own, and counting the spaces between them quietly.

He doesn't know how to tell Chanyeol that he likes his stupid loud laugh and listening to him chatter on but is worried he’s boring because he never knows how to answer him.

Jongin’s sigh ruffles the end of his tail, the tip gently rising against his nose, soft and familiar. Opening his eyes, Jongin peeks out to the opening of his covers, where the dim light from outside peeks in at him.

Does Chanyeol hate him? Is he mad? Is he upset with him or just angry and hurt because Jongin hurt him when they had just been playing. It was an _accident_.

“Who even bites?” Jongin mumbles to himself, squeezing his eyes shut once more as he thinks that, of course, everyone bites.

Jongin and his brothers and sisters used to bite each other all the time when they were kittens. Jongin was just being stupid, and silly, and he needs to apologize.

Taking in a deep breath, Jongin slowly pulls himself from the warm cocoon of his blankets, emerging from them with ears twitching and trying to keep quiet. It’s late afternoon, the light filtering in from his window and pleasant gold as he sneaks out his door. Sehun and Zitao are off somewhere, and Junmyeon and Baekhyun had gone out with Kyungsoo and Minseok earlier to pick up food.

The house is so quiet as Jongin peeks his head into Chanyeol’s room, looking for him and feeling nervous, tummy flopping about anxiously.

The room is empty, and Jongin bites his lip, withdrawing and quickly padding down the hall on his tippy toes.

Just as he’s about to walk into the kitchen, Jongin hears a soft sound from the living room and peeks inside. His heart jumps in his chest as he catches Chanyeol, sprawled on the floor and fast asleep. His shirt is a little scrunched up, one arm stretched over his head and Jongin smiles softly as he pads closer.

Chanyeol looks so silly when he sleeps, mouth open slightly and sprawled out, long legs twisted up a bit and a tiny furrow between his eyebrows. He looks strangely soft, and comfortable, like he’d be so easy to just fit with. Jongin bites his lip, crouching down until he’s stretched out opposite him, looking at Chanyeol’s tiny frown and wondering why it’s there.

Chanyeol makes a soft little sigh as Jongin reaches out carefully and slowly runs his fingers over his nose, getting a soft twitch from Chanyeol’s velvet looking brown ears. He bites his smile gently, letting his fingers carefully smooth over some of the lines on Chanyeol’s face, until they’re all gone. Jongin blinks slowly, smiling in contentment as Chanyeol lets out a soft sigh and it ruffles Jongin’s bangs.

The light filtering in from the windows is playing over them, warm and comfortable, and Jongin feels heavy, not holding back a long yawn. It’s been a few days since Jongin really saw Chanyeol, since Chanyeol would smile at him and lean over him to steal food from his plate.

It’s been a few days since Chanyeol would crowd him at the bathroom sink and laugh too loud next to his ear.

Jongin misses him, and his tail twitches only a little as he shifts closer, carefully shuffling over the carpet. Chanyeol lets out a soft whine as Jongin presses closer, moving into his space for once. Jongin bites his lip, watching as Chanyeol’s face relaxes again before he pushes down the nervous bundle in his chest and tucks himself into Chanyeol’s chest.

Jongin doesn’t really know how to truly apologize, and tell Chanyeol he’s sorry that he hurt him and that it wasn’t intentional. He doesn’t know how to explain that he’s not mad, that he’s not sure what to do still and that he doesn’t know how to answer Chanyeol when Chanyeol speaks faster than Jongin can think.

Instead, Jongin closes his eyes, one arms snaking out to drape around Chanyeol’s waist, and hopes that this will be okay.

U＾ェ＾U 

Warm.

Chanyeol is very warm. A warm drowsy content warm kind of feeling that has him smiling before he even opens his eyes. The kind of warm that makes him want to go back to sleep and ignore things and just stay curled up, like true comfort and peace. The warm feeling of happiness pooling in his chest as he wraps a little tighter around-

Chanyeol stiffens, a little more alert now he’s aware he’s not alone. Slowly cracking open an eye, Chanyeol almost expects to see Baekhyun, and instead receives a shock to see a pair of black ears and soft black hair before his nose instead. Carefully, Chanyeol shifts a bit, and the form curled up to him lets out a muffled whimper before cuddling closer, a tail wrapping around his thigh and Chanyeol’s breath catches.

Jongin is curled up with him, literally nestled right into his chest and Chanyeol’s breath is caught somewhere between his lips and his heart. Chanyeol had thought Jongin was mad at him. He had never imagined in a thousand years that Jongin would talk to him again, let along _sleep_ with him. Like this.

Curled up and snuggled with him.

Chanyeol can’t remember the last time he had a kitty truly snuggle with him, not since Lu Han.

That thought, along with the soft flick from Jongin’s ears, has Chanyeol suddenly smiling, bigger and bigger as he looks down at Jongin’s still sleeping form in his arms. He just wants to pull Jongin closer, bundle him into his chest and hold him tight, bury his face into Jongin’s fluffy hair and nuzzle his soft black ears and roll them all around the floor because he’s so happy.

Chanyeol wants to, his arms straining for it, the excitement already found in his tail which begins to thump behind him, but then Jongin shifts, wiggling a bit and a peek of a frown shows on his face as he twists. Chanyeol stills, remembering what Kyungsoo had said, what Sehun had said, what he’s seen from Jongin. So instead of pulling Jongin in and wrapping him tight, Chanyeol carefully lets his arms wrap around him, legs shifting to a more comfortable position with Jongin’s.

As Chanyeol holds in a soft gasp, Jongin shifts closer, nestling into his arms and letting out a soft sigh, his breath fanning against Chanyeol’s skin. Chanyeol’s smile grows wider as Jongin’s fingers tighten in Chanyeol’s shirt near his shoulder and he settles against him. He’s so soft, almost like liquid, his body curving against Chanyeol’s comfortably like it was meant to be there, and Chanyeol can’t help but lean down and press his nose into Jongin’s hair, breathing in.

Jongin smells so nice, not like anything other than clean shampoo and the laundry detergent they all use, and Jongin. Just Jongin.

His hair is soft as Chanyeol’s fingers slip into it, petting gently and Jongin sighs again, a moment later Chanyeol’s eyes widening as a slow rumble begins, slowly building.

Chanyeol realizes with a rush that Jongin is purring. Chanyeol can’t remember ever hearing Jongin purr. He knew that he wanted to though, and now, with Jongin softly purring into his chest, Chanyeol realizes he likes it very, very much.

He buries his smile with his nose into Jongin’s hair, and feels Jongin’s tail wrap tighter around his thigh as his hand tugs slightly at the shirt at his back.

And it’s okay.

U＾ェ＾U 

Chanyeol doesn't stop smiling. Baekhyun laughs, barking at him and jumping on him but Chanyeol can't stop. Sehun rolls his eyes and Zitao laughs, asking him if he’s finally crazy and Kyungsoo shakes his head when Chanyeol laughs too loudly even more often.

Jongin smiles back, slightly softer and hidden, but even Sehun comments that he’s just about as loud and weird as Chanyeol when he laughs.

“You’re a terrible influence on him,” Sehun says, sprawled on the couch with Zitao, his head in the other cat’s lap. “Look at what you’ve done to him? He can’t even tell what species he is now.” Sehun nods over at Jongin. Jongin is currently playing a weird ball catching game with Yixing and Baekhyun, laughing himself silly as he misses when Baekhyun pretends to throw the ball and doesn’t.

“I’d say that’s an improvement,” Chanyeol laughs, flicking a piece of the puzzle he’d been doing earlier at Sehun and grinning when Sehun bats at it wildly. Zitao watches in avid amusement as Sehun attempts to swat the puzzle piece off of himself.

Jongin doesn't just barrel into him like Baekhyun might, or like how Lu Han would have just jumped on him. Granted, he’s not at all like Sehun and Zitao, who slink in and sprawl on everything like overcooked noodles, literally draping themselves on any surface and emulating spilt liquid.

It's not like that when Chanyeol goes to join the game and it becomes a sort of keep away, where they all toss the ball and Yixing yelps in giggles whenever he gets it, throwing it away before anyone can jump on him. Jongin dissolves into laughter when he gets tackled, rolling over the floor in a ball and face stretched in an impossibly bright smile.

Jongin doesn’t slide his way into spaces, instead just shifting and moving and pushing back, waiting with tense muscles for Chanyeol or Baekhyun to jump on him and then reflecting their weight, laughing as he tries to keep the ball covered by his belly. He’s breathless with laughter when Chanyeol ends up wrestling him for it, finally giving it up to Junmyeon as he collapses onto Chanyeol and topples them over.

It’s not a bad thing to play fight, Chanyeol just a little more careful as he pushes Jongin around, getting a shove back and easing into it. Jongin is more about finesse and slipping through the air, sharp looks and cute smiles where Chanyeol is excitement and enthusiastic barrel rolls.

Chanyeol now notices Jongin sneaking tidbits off his plate, trying to be sneaky and how he giggles to himself when he succeeds, cheeks turning pink. Chanyeol knocks their hips together when they brush their teeth, and grins around his toothbrush. Chanyeol pushes as close as he can on the couch during movies on Fridays and wraps up around Jongin, chin on his shoulder and tail thumping happily as soon as he hears the first hint of Jongin purring.

Chanyeol wakes up sometimes at night with gentle hands curled into his shirt and black soft ears tickling his chin, the sound of Jongin’s purring rumbling against his chest.

It’s always easier to settle down, arms wound around Jongin’s waist securely and holding him tight, curled up together in the warm covers and mess of blankets. Chanyeol’s dreams have never been so soft and he wakes up every morning smiling.

(=｀ェ´=) 

Jongin doesn’t like to wake up early. He’s never been very good with mornings, the first thing to usually drag him out of bed being the pangs in his stomach telling him he needs food. Then he’s up, pulling from wherever he curled up the night before and trying to find something to make his stomach quiet.

Waking up in a bed at Kyungsoo’s home had been strange the first few weeks Jongin had done it, blinking blearily at the sunlight filtering in and too harsh against his eyes. Sehun usually would pretend not to notice he was there when Jongin would wander into the kitchen, even though he’d already set out another bowl for cereal and a cup for tea.

Getting so used to having his own place, to hide in his room and bed had made Jongin feel safer, even if he missed the feeling of comfort from lounging with Zitao and Yixing in the house or napping with Sehun in the sun. Jongin hadn’t realized how much he liked sleeping pressed up against another though until he’d woken up with Chanyeol wrapped around him, his breath rustling his hair and ears twitching in dreams.

Jongin hadn’t gone back to sleep, instead just burying deeper into Chanyeol, smile hidden in Chanyeol’s chest as he felt so warm and happy, a rumble starting in his center that he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.

Waking up with Chanyeol is soft and nice, sometimes Jongin peeling away and walking off before Chanyeol can finish yawning, ignoring him in favor of breakfast or the bathroom. Sometimes Jongin pretends he’s still sleeping, hiding his smile as he feels Chanyeol curiously pet him until he purrs.

Waking up without Chanyeol is disorienting. Jongin hates when it happens, when he pulls from sleep expecting to be cozy and cuddled up and his hands stretch to find nothing. Jongin doesn’t purr those mornings, eyes opening and staring at the space where Chanyeol is supposed to be. Curling up in the place Chanyeol was doesn’t bring much relief, usually not holding the heat from Chanyeol and making Jongin’s tail whack against the mattress in annoyance.

Annoyed because he feels heavy and empty and he doesn’t _like_ that feeling. Chanyeol is _supposed_ to be here.

Jongin will ignore Chanyeol on those days, brushing him off when Chanyeol jumps to wrap his arm around his shoulders as he asks to play. Jongin will turn up his nose and curl up with a book, back pressed to Yixing’s on the couch. Chanyeol sometimes will try to curl up with him, and the way his ears droop and he looks worried makes Jongin’s stomach swoop and he kicks Chanyeol off the couch.

Then Jongin will go and curl up on his bed to read.

It isn’t until Jongin realizes his frustration and inability to concentrate that he thinks _where is he?_ and looks at the door. Chanyeol should be here by now, crawling into the bed with him and flopping on him, telling him books are boring and come outside in the sun.

Jongin can see his smile, feel his low laugh puff against his ear and he shakes himself, shivering from his tail to the tips of his ears, eyes squeezed shut. He feels agitated, like that time he had fleas except he isn’t itchy.

At dinner, Chanyeol doesn't steal food from Jongin’s plate and Jongin stares at him, frowning because Chanyeol _always_ steals food from his plate. Chanyeol is busy laughing with Baekhyun, face stretched wide in a smile and he doesn’t even glance at Jongin.

He doesn’t even flinch when Jongin whacks him _accidentally_ with his tail, just throwing back another joke at Baekhyun that sends Yixing into peals of laughter and even Sehun starts giggling.

Jongin isn’t laughing, and his ears go back as he turns to his plate and frowns at it. Kyungsoo made his favorite tonight, and Jongin can’t find his appetite. Instead, he feels like he has worms instead, pushing his plate back and a bit with a finger and poking at the chicken dinner despondently with his fork.

“Jongin?” calls Kyungsoo softly from a few chairs down, making him jerk to look at him, tail switching. Kyungsoo is looking between Jongin’s plate and Jongin, confusion written over his brow. “Are you feeling okay?”

Chanyeol laughs again beside him and Jongin’s ears twitch to lie flat on his head. “I’m not hungry,” Jongin says, sinking down a bit in his chair and turning away, shaking his bangs over his eyes as he stares with narrowed eyes and a frown at his plate.

Chanyeol doesn’t steal his food, only talks to him three times, and instead just jokes with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo and Sehun and Jongin’s tail flicks back and forth behind him again and again, angrier and more irritated.

Kyungsoo puts aside Jongin’s unfinished dinner, telling him that he can get it if he gets hungry later. It’s when his hand presses over Jongin’s forehead that Jongin lets out a suppressed sigh he’s been holding all day.

“What’s up?” Kyungsoo asks, one eyebrow rising as Minseok herds the others into the living room. “You’ve been off all day.”

“Nothing,” Jongin says instead of _Chanyeol_. “I’m fine Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo looks like he wants to say something else, but instead reaches up to card his fingers through Jongin’s hair, the touch bringing a bit of relief to Jongin’s agitated nerves. “Want to help me wash up?” Kyungsoo asks, nodding towards the dishes.

Jongin thinks of the living room, where everyone fights for a place on the couch and Chanyeol will find him quickly, pulling him close with an arm around his neck and wrestling them a place amid the foray. Jongin’s stomach turns over and he lets out a shaking breath, his ears twitching back as he nods.

“Yeah,” he says, turning to Kyungsoo and shaking his head a bit. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

Kyungsoo just smiles, reaching up and patting Jongin a few times on the shoulder. It’s calming, chatting quietly with Kyungsoo, listening to him talk in fragments about the events from the day, what he does outside of the house when he leaves, and sharing a few secrets on Minseok that make Jongin laugh. Jongin’s tail is flicking behind him, happy and calmer when he dries the last of the dishes and he smiles as Kyungsoo reaches up to scratch behind his ears, letting out a soft purr.

“There it is,” Kyungsoo says, smiling with ease. “I was wondering where that went.”

Jongin blinks. “What?”

“Your smile,” Kyungsoo says, stepping back and drying his hands. “You’ve been wearing almost nothing but a smile the last few weeks and today I didn’t see it once. Glad to see it back.”

Leaving Jongin standing still, eyes wide, Kyungsoo walks down the hall, towards his and Minseok’s room. Jongin’s heart flutters, and he thinks on what Kyungsoo just said.

Has he really been smiling so much lately? He knows that he purrs much easier than he used to, and it’s nice, the rumble in his chest making him smile just as well. But he didn’t realize that he’d been so…

Happy.

Jongin shakes his head, some of the nervous skitters over his skin returning, and the kitchen feels a little too quiet. Jongin likes the quiet, always has, the soft silence that he can relax in. But he’s begun to expect sound, to hear laughter and voices and _loud_ as well.

Walking into the living room, Jongin frowns almost immediately, eyes raking the couch and it looks wrong. The others are all watching a movie and there is too much space. “Where’s Chanyeol?” he asks, frowning at the others. Only Baekhyun and Minseok glance back at him, Baekhyun looking curious and Minseok adult.

“He’s in his room,” Baekhyun says, leaning a bit on Junmyeon beside him. “He didn’t want to watch with us.” He scrunches up his nose. “Scared.”

“Why?” Jongin asks, frowning as he watches the screen and sees a group of friends all laughing together as they get into a van.

“We’re watching a horror movie,” Sehun says, sprawled across Zitao’s and Yixing’s laps. He turns lazily to look up at Jongin just as a shiver skitters down Jongin’s spine, beginning to puff up a little. Sehun grins lazily in the way Jongin has learned means _bad ideas_. “Want to join?”

“I’ll pass,” Jongin says, glancing up at the screen again and hastily slipping from the room.

In the past few weeks when they all gather and horror wins in the votes, Chanyeol will knock Jongin’s shoulder and asks him if he wants to watch something else, on Kyungsoo’s laptop or something. He’ll smile and step so close Jongin can smell the last time he brushed his teeth, nose filling with peppermint and Chanyeol as his skin prickles.

Jongin pauses as he walks down the hall, his tail stiffening. Should he go and find Chanyeol? Chanyeol does much worse with horror than Jongin does, gasping and yelping at the scenes and getting worked up over them, crying at the romance films he chooses for them to watch. Jongin teases him but thinks it’s kind of cute, how Chanyeol will get so annoyed when the main characters don’t just understand they’re ‘meant to be’.

Checking Chanyeol’s rooms shows that he’s not actually there, and Jongin’s tail droops in disappointment and confusion, knowing that this is what they do. Together. Horror night has kind of become their thing, and he frowns, ears flicking back in annoyance because Chanyeol isn’t there with him.

Chanyeol is _always_ there.

Jongin pokes his head into Baekhyun and Junmyeon’s room, thinking maybe Chanyeol will be there, and his tail drops in disappointment to find it empty.

It’s strange, even with the noise from the other room, how quiet it feels. How Jongin is agitated without being sick or having something wrong with him. It’s like something is missing, and Jongin presses his lips together as he wonders what it is and looks for Chanyeol, ears twitching for sound as he pokes his nose into the other rooms.

Chanyeol isn’t in any of them, and Jongin slumps, frustrated, to the floor just outside the door of his room, knees pulling up to his chest and tail wrapping around him. When did it get to be like this? Where is Chanyeol?

Jongin is so used to him now, having him around and always asking him things, talking about stuff and teasing him, smiling and his big eyes almost glowing with life before he laughs. Jongin usually laughs too, unable to help himself as he watches Chanyeol and it just bursts out of him. Jongin is used to having Chanyeol sidle up to him, easing into the space around him and to finding Chanyeol in the afternoons to curl up beside as he settles in for a nap.

Jongin is used to him being around, and horror night is _their_ time. Just like Jongin sometimes thinks of Chanyeol’s bed as also his space, and Chanyeol’s sweatshirts his from how many times Chanyeol has pulled them over his twitching ears laughing and calling him ‘cute’.

The way Chanyeol sometimes whimpers in his sleep and Jongin smiles, poking at the lines of his face until they smooth away and how he fixes Chanyeol’s hair when it gets messy and looks stupid. How he lets Chanyeol steal his food and laughs with warmth because Chanyeol looks so pleased, and how Chanyeol always lets him steal food back.

The way Jongin can sleep best wrapped up with him, how Chanyeol’s warm hands petting him make him purr before anyone else, and how Jongin can’t help but smile when Chanyeol looks at him with a wide grin.

Jongin licks his lips, his tail twitching around his ankles as his breath stutters in his chest, heart giving a little quiver as his head pulls around images of Chanyeol.

If he sits on the floor long enough, maybe Chanyeol will come and find him, raise his eyebrows as his tail wags behind him and he nudges Jongin’s foot with his toe, asking him what he’s doing. If he waits here, maybe Chanyeol will pull him up and wiggle too close, smelling of dog and dinner and laundry as he asks Jongin what movie he wants to watch.

If Jongin sits on the floor for long enough, maybe Chanyeol will come find him.

Jongin’s heart gives another little quiver as he realizes he’s been sitting on the floor for a few minutes and Chanyeol hasn’t been anywhere.

Wrapping his arms tighter around himself, Jongin sighs, sagging until he flops onto the floor, sprawled as he feels that agitated feeling of missing and his heart beats with a new different pace.

Jongin’s tummy bubbles and he thinks of the food in the kitchen, wondering if he should finish his dinner.

Jongin’s heart bumps and he wonders if Chanyeol is in the kitchen.

Jongin blinks.

The room across from Jongin’s is Chanyeol’s, dark and empty and Jongin knows it just as well as his own by now, the feeling of the sheets against his skin and exactly how to hit Chanyeol when he’s snoring to get him to stop.

Jongin’s heart bumps again.

Jongin blinks again.

Ears twitching at the sound at the end of the hall, Jongin shifts so he can look towards the entrance from the living room. Standing in his pajama pants and holding two bowls of something, Chanyeol is staring at him, eyebrows awkwardly curious and ears perked.

“What are you doing?” he asks, cocking his head to the side as he takes in Jongin sprawled on the floor in a mess of limbs and emotional something strange.

“Lying down,” Jongin tells him, looking up at him and taking in a slow breath as a little bump springs in his chest, excited and strange, not quite agitated but not calm at all. His tail flicks as Chanyeol takes a few steps closer. He’s holding one plate with Jongin’s dinner on it and another holds a bowl of popcorn and Kyungsoo’s laptop. The bump goes thump. “What are you doing?”

“I was looking for you,” Chanyeol says, and the small frown between his eyebrows makes Jongin feel happy, extremely stupidly happy. His tail flicks about and his ears rise up, a smile threatening his lips. Chanyeol was _looking_ for him. “They’re watching some weird horror movie and I thought we could-“ Chanyeol shrugs, jostling the many things in his arms. “You know.”

Jongin raises his eyebrows at him, eyes widening dramatically instead of speaking. A few weeks ago, Chanyeol would have stuttered and backed off. Now, he laughs and playfully kicks out at Jongin, earning a feeble swat that doesn’t mean anything.

“Come finish your dinner, you lazy cat,” Chanyeol laughs at him, walking into his room.

Jongin watches as Chanyeol’s room light turns on and he hears the plates being set down, Chanyeol shuffling around his room and listens to the slightly louder beats of his heart. He’s not agitated, but he is aware of the light thrumming just under the surface that feels like purring but it isn’t.

It gets louder as he crawls into Chanyeol’s bed and makes sure there isn’t room for Chanyeol and Chanyeol shoves him over, wedging so close he’s sprawled half on top of him. Jongin is purring before he’s done with dinner, and as Chanyeol gently butts his head against Jongin’s shoulder, he realizes with that same quiver in his heart why.

U＾ェ＾U 

Chanyeol is laughing, rolling about on the green grass and yelping between snuffled grunts and trying to get a good grip. His body is taught, ready for the fight but he’s having too much fun to make it real, instead barking out another laugh as Jongin slips from his grip and shoves him back down. Then he’s off, scrambling up and sprinting across the green and bursting with laughter, ears straight up on his head and tail whipping behind him as he looks back at Chanyeol with a wide challenging grin.

Sehun never plays with Chanyeol like this, and Zitao is often a little too rough, getting too invested in the fight and hates not winning. With Jongin, it’s just fun, just laughing and muffled giggles, Jongin changing a fight from something serious by head butting into Chanyeol’s chest and rolling them over to just sprawl.

“Too slow!” Jongin yells back now as Chanyeol leaps up to race after him. It’s just them and Minseok at the park today, the others all wanting to stay back and spend time with Kyungsoo for some reason. Chanyeol loves being out, and Jongin had perked up and agreed to go too.

“You cheated!” Chanyeol yells back, bouncing after Jongin as the cat zigs and zags over the lawn and ducks under Chanyeol’s grabbing arms, yelping high with glee. “Hold still!” Jongin shoves him over, and Chanyeol only just manages to grab him to bring him down with him, a triumphant bark of laughter ringing out before they thud to the ground.

Chanyeol likes playing with Jongin the most, as he never gives in really, and he always plays completely. Baekhyun will run away and curl into himself, Junmyeon with too short of a fuse and Yixing always is too unpredictable for Chanyeol to really want to push him. Jongin isn’t like that though, as when they land on the grass he’s wiggling, back arching and trying to squirm out of Chanyeol’s arms, pushing and shoving and laughing.

He doesn’t hit to hurt, just enough to get free to start the game all over again.

Chanyeol gets knocked down just as he thinks he’s got Jongin pinned and lets out a loud grunt, Jongin letting out a loud victorious “Ha!” above him before Chanyeol rolls over on him and lets out a growl, biting playfully at his neck.

Jongin flinches back, and for a short second Chanyeol freezes, thinking he’s going to bolt, or stiffen in terrified hate.

To his surprise, Chanyeol is bowled back as Jongin flings himself up and his teeth bite, not hard enough to hurt, but enough for Chanyeol to yelp out in shock as the cat nips his soft ear.

“Hey!” he yells, watching as Jongin bolts away only to collapse, laughing, in a heap on the grass, face red from exertion. Jongin rolls around in the grass, limbs flopping and tail tangling with his legs as he wheezes out laughter and points up at Chanyeol’s face.

“You should have seen your face!” Jongin gasps up at him, eyes blindingly happy and Chanyeol tries to pout down at him.

“You bit me,” Chanyeol tells him, putting as much shock in his voice as he can while feeling a little… pleased?

“You bit me,” Jongin throws back, head curling to the side as his tail flicks in the grass. Then he grins wide, and kicks Chanyeol’s legs out from under him in one swift move, shrieking with laughter again. It ends in a pained groan and a small hiss as Chanyeol ends up falling mostly on Jongin, squashing him and he’s wincing when Chanyeol pushes himself up.

“That’s what you get,” Chanyeol tells him, propping over Jongin’s splayed out form. “This is why you shouldn’t knock me over.”

“Right,” Jongin says, squinting up at him in the sunlight, nose scrunching up in a way that makes him look so cute. “Because you’re so top heavy. Big stupid head and all.”

Rather than answering that, Chanyeol just lets himself flop back on top of Jongin, getting another wheezing grunt as he makes sure his head bounces on Jongin’s soft tummy. “Ow,” Jongin tells him, poking at one of his ears and Chanyeol shakes his head, grinning as it earns him a startled hiccupping giggle.

“I’m not stupid,” Chanyeol tells him, rolling over a bit so he can look up at Jongin and gets a fantastic view of his chin and neck. Jongin’s tail flicks him in the side.

“You’re not that stupid,” Jongin amends, twisting so he curls in the grass, looking at Chanyeol from the side. He wags his eyebrows. “For a dog.”

The sun is warm against his skin and easing, Chanyeol still panting slightly from running around and chasing Jongin, play fighting and rolling about, so he only whacks him lightly in the arm for the insult. Closing his eyes, Chanyeol rolls over a bit, feeling Jongin shift as well to accommodate and they slip into a comfortable fit, Jongin tangled up with him and warm against his chest, head pillowed on his arm and soft ears brushing Chanyeol’s fingertips.

Chanyeol smiles, looking at the still lingering flush on Jongin’s cheeks as he pokes at the grass, tail brushing softly against Chanyeol’s calves as his bare feet poke at the backs of Chanyeol’s knees. The inside of his mouth is red when he yawns, and Chanyeol almost sticks a finger inside, poking his pink tongue.

He can almost see the scrunched up affronted face Jongin would make and barely holds in a chuckle at the idea.

“What?” Jongin asks, blinking up at him slowly. His voice is already soft and thick with sleep, the sun shining highlights into his black hair and making the fur on his ears almost shine with gold and brown hues.

“Just thinking of putting my fingers in your mouth,” Chanyeol tells him easily, and grins as Jongin’s face scrunches up even at the thought. He looks so cute, face pinched and eyes squinting as his lips pout, Chanyeol wants to be rolling closer and almost on top of him.

He doesn’t though, remembering _space_ and just letting his hand come to rest on Jongin’s waist, the gentle curve pleasant under his palm. Jongin sighs, eyes closing as he shifts to a more comfortable press, closer to Chanyeol and Chanyeol almost holds his breath as Jongin eases into him, curling up to him again.

Jongin does this so often now, whenever Chanyeol pushes just a bit into his space instead of barging into it. Jongin will curl up to him, filling in the gaps with himself and finding all the places he fits until there’s nothing left except the louder beats of Chanyeol’s excited heart and the soft feeling of Jongin’s breath against his skin.

Chanyeol has learned, in times like now and many others, that Jongin will now allow him to touch him. It’s like he trusts him now, and Chanyeol loves how just the gentle brush of his fingers to the softness of Jongin’s ears has a low rumbling purr curling up from Jongin’s chest and trembling against his own.

Chanyeol loves hearing Jongin purr, the sound so rich, like he’s smiling out loud, just for Chanyeol and only for him.

It makes Chanyeol feel on the top of the world and he loves it, swelling with the feeling until he thinks he might burst.

All of the times like this have begun to be Chanyeol’s favorite times, the moments where Jongin will laugh with him, play with him, nap with or on him. The moments when Jongin will slip into his room at night and curl up with him when he thinks Chanyeol is asleep. The nights when Jongin will fall asleep when Chanyeol is watching a movie with him in Jongin’s room and they’ll sleep nestled amid pillows and blankets, Jongin’s fingers curled in his shirt and nose pressed against his throat.

It feels so strange that just a few months ago, when Jongin first arrived, he wouldn’t let Chanyeol near him. Wouldn’t let anyone near him, cold faced and reserved, and how he flinched away from any touch, bolting when Chanyeol tried to snuggle - hug him.

Now, it’s hard to think of a time when Jongin pushes him away aside from teasing. Chanyeol loves it, being able to slip into Jongin’s side, wrap around him on the couch, even hold his hand sometimes when they go for walks and Jongin doesn’t pull away.

Jongin smiles, and Chanyeol feels happy. Chanyeol can’t stop smiling, looking at Jongin with them and feeling full as Jongin smiles back.

Minseok rounds them up a few hours after Jongin’s purrs have quieted to soft sleep and Chanyeol has just started to finally drift off.

“C’mon,” Minseok says, laughing a bit as he pulls them both up. “Kyungsoo will kill me if I let you two miss dinner.”

“What if we get ice cream instead?” Chanyeol proposes, hand slipping into Jongin’s and holding tight. Jongin doesn’t pull away, drifting closer to his side and looking intrigued by the notion of ice cream.

Their hands feel so nice together, and Chanyeol’s tail wags in contentment.

“No,” Minseok says, ruffing both of their heads. Chanyeol laughs as Jongin flinches as his hair is mussed. “Maybe next time. It’s not fair to the others if you have ice cream and they don’t.”

“We can get some for later,” Jongin suggests, looking hopeful. After he and Chanyeol both argue, Chanyeol incessant chattering and Jongin with a few well placed looks and pleading words and eyes, Minseok sighs.

Kyungsoo frowns at Minseok when he shows up with four tubs of ice cream and Minseok blames Chanyeol and Jongin.

“It was his idea,” Jongin says, shaking Chanyeol’s hand in his own and Chanyeol beams even as Kyungsoo looks at him in disapproval. Jongin never let go of his hand the entire way home.

Whatever scolding Kyungsoo wanted to give is drowned out as Sehun, Zitao, and Baekhyun spot the dessert and all yell their enthusiastic agreement about it. Chanyeol can’t help but grin, watching how Jongin licks at his ice cream later, pink tongue flashing out to catch little tastes of the treat in his bowl when he thinks no one is watching him.

He’s so _cute_.

Chanyeol just quietly reaches out when Jongin isn’t looking, letting out a small laugh when Jongin jumps as his fingers brush the corner of his lips. Jongin blinks, eyes widening as Chanyeol wipes away some of the ice cream from Jongin’s chin. “Silly cat,” Chanyeol says, watching as Jongin licks his lips and doesn’t pull away.

It’s been so nice, because Jongin doesn’t pull away from him at all, and Chanyeol loves it. Loves having moments and pockets of just them, just him and Jongin, even amid the loud chaos of the house sometimes, how he can slip away and Jongin’s there.

Chanyeol loves it, how Jongin curls up with him later, soft and easing into his side like he belongs there, making Chanyeol’s tail thump happily as he presses his face into Jongin’s hair and feels his ears twitch. In many ways, it’s nicer how Jongin doesn’t push, scrambling over him like Sehun sometimes does or how Baekhyun jumps on him.

It’s Minseok’s turn to choose the movie tonight, despite Sehun’s whining before Yixing boxes him in the ears to shush. Chanyeol can feel the exhaustion in his limbs from running around earlier, and about a half hour into the movie, Jongin’s weight is heavy against him.

Looking down, the cat is already asleep, tucked into Chanyeol’s side with his head pillowed on his shoulder. It only takes a small shift, careful not to wake him, for Chanyeol to snake his arm over Jongin’s shoulders before the cat is snuggling even closer, wrapping into him with a soft purring snuffle.

Chanyeol smiles, feeling sleepy and pressing his face into Jongin’s soft hair, his ears tickling the sides of Chanyeol’s face. Being with him, in this small pocket of whatever they have, it’s more than Chanyeol ever thought he’d have. With Jongin.

With anyone.

It’s the first time he’s felt like this, so happy to be with another, to see them smile, to watch them and just feel so alive. Chanyeol has never felt so much around anyone else like he feels around Jongin, it’s almost overwhelming.

It’s like he’s…

Jongin lets out a sigh, wiggling a bit and tucking his head under Chanyeol’s chin, tail curling around into Chanyeol’s lap and tickling his knee. In his chest, right below where Jongin’s chin is, Chanyeol can feel his heart throbbing with that too full feeling, and wonders just when exactly he felt so much more around Jongin than anything else.

U＾ェ＾U 

“What if I’m sick?”

Baekhyun is slumped on top of him, absently rifling through a package of beef jerky he managed to beg off of Minseok earlier. He’s pressing Chanyeol into the floor at a horrible angle and he wiggles, trying to get Baekhyun off, whining slightly at him. Baekhyun just shifts into an even more uncomfortable angle, raising his eyebrows at him as he gnaws on a piece of jerky.

“I don't think you’re sick,” Baekhyun says, chewing slowly. “Being stupid isn’t a sickness. It’s a state of being.” Chanyeol pouts deeply, ears drooping as Baekhyun grins at him, tail wagging and ears perking up on his head. He shoves Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I’m kidding.”

“But really,” Chanyeol whines, rolling over and getting a loud grunt from Baekhyun as he dumps him from where Baekhyun had been lying on him. “What if something is wrong with me? What if I’m accidentally developing an allergy to him? That’d be _awful_ it means we could never play together or sleep together or _snuggle_.”

“Then you, Chanyeol, will be the most tragic being in the whole wide world,” Baekhyun tells him with a flourish of his jerky.

Chanyeol frowns at him and kicks the jerky out of his hand, getting a loud yelp. “Come on, I’m serious.”

“I don’t think you’re allergic to him,” Baekhyun sighs, looking at where the jerky has landed on Junmyeon’s side of the room with slumping shoulders. He rolls up the bag and tosses it onto his bed, then flops onto Chanyeol again. “Do you sneeze around him?”

“No,” Chanyeol says, craning his neck to see Baekhyun from the new strange angle. “I just feel warm and like my chest is swelling up and my stomach feels all wiggly.”

“Do you have worms?” Baekhyun asks, scrunching up his nose.

“No,” Chanyeol tells him, swatting at his head and getting a snuffled bark of protest as Baekhyun jerks away. “Besides, they only happen around Jongin. If I had worms, I’d be sick and feel weird all the time. But I don’t, only around him, like my insides are too big for me.” Baekhyun’s head is cocked to the side, and he’s looking at Chanyeol with curiosity. Chanyeol takes this as a sign to keep going, considering Baekhyun is rarely this quiet and listening. “And my heart speeds up. He makes me happy, but-“

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says, pushing himself up and staring down at Chanyeol. Then, without warning, he flops down and rolls into Chanyeol, peering up at him with wide inquisitive eyes as he nestles into Chanyeol’s side, almost like Jongin does. “How do you feel?”

“Fine?” Chanyeol says, confused as he looks down at Baekhyun and feels his breath on his face. It’s moist and uncomfortable, and Chanyeol pulls back, the smell of jerky mixing terribly with the morning coffee and porridge. “What are you doing?”

“Is your tummy wiggling?” Baekhyun asks as he lays a hand on Chanyeol’s stomach, splayed flat and still looking curious.

“No,” Chanyeol says, staring at Baekhyun and maybe following a little but mostly just wanting Baekhyun to not tickle him. “You don’t make me feel weird, Baekhyun.”

“Well, that’s a relief I guess,” Baekhyun says, sighing and propping his chin up to rest on Chanyeol’s chest. “It’d be weird if you felt weird around me, you know?”

Chanyeol frowns a bit, staring down at Baekhyun from this strange angle and thinks about Baekhyun. Thinks about him in the same way that he might think about Jongin and then winces, flinching away.

No.

Baekhyun pokes him, and shoves into his space and Chanyeol loves him but he doesn’t want to be with Baekhyun like he wants to be with Jongin.

Chanyeol blinks.

“It only happens around Jongin,” Chanyeol says, and feels his cheeks grow hot. He thinks of Jongin being here with him instead of Baekhyun, cuddled up to him and looking up at him, chin propped on his chest and hand on his stomach. His tummy rolls over, and so does Chanyeol, groaning and squashing Baekhyun.

The shriek Baekhyun lets out ends up getting footfalls thundering down the hall and has Chanyeol’s ears stinging in pain. Looking up from where he’s half flattening Baekhyun, Chanyeol sees Kyungsoo bustling into the room and looking around with a concerned and slightly irritated frown.

“What did he do?” Kyungsoo asks, not really giving much definition to who he’s talking about.

“He’s having tummy feelings,” Baekhyun wheezes from where Chanyeol is still half lying on him. He grunts, growls, and then spies Chanyeol’s grin, shoving him off with a loud grumble. “Jerk.”

“Tummy feelings?” Kyungsoo looks concerned now, turning his attention to Chanyeol. “Are you sick?”

“Oh, he’s sick all right,” Baekhyun snorts, flopping back to smirk to himself as he looks between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s expression tightens and he looks at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol, subsequently, feels worry begin to race over his skin. “Does this mean I _am_ allergic to Jongin?” he asks, his stomach now tying into knots as he watches Baekhyun. He thought Baekhyun said it was okay.

“No, you’re not-“ Baekhyun sighs in annoyance, like Chanyeol is dumb or something. He looks up at Kyungsoo. “He has tummy wiggles.”

Kyungsoo is frowning, walking over and placing a hand to Chanyeol’s forehead. Chanyeol leans into him, craning up from the floor and into Kyungsoo’s soft palm, closing his eyes as his tail thumps on the ground at the affection and concern. “What do you mean tummy wiggles? Like you feel sick or upset? Painful?”

When he takes away his hand, Chanyeol shakes his head, sighing and shoulders drooping, ears flapping. “No, not painful. And it doesn’t feel so much like I’m sick, but more just like my tummy _does_ all these things and moves around when it _shouldn’t_.”

“Does this happen all the time?” Kyungsoo asks, as Baekhyun flops over on the floor and onto his back, looking between the two of them.

“No,” Baekhyun says, grinning up at Kyungsoo as his ears lie on the floor and splay with his hair. It makes a weird muddy halo around his head.

Kyungsoo turns to Chanyeol, is eyebrows raised in question. “It only happens around Jongin,” Chanyeol says, feeling heavy and excited and shaky all at once. It’s not something he’s felt really, and he sighs, shaking his head. “I get hot and my heart goes faster and my stomach gets all weird and it’s not like I’m sick.” When Chanyeol looks up at Kyungsoo, he has a slow look of surprise on his face. And the hint of a smile. “I’m not sick, right?”

“No, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says, letting out a small laugh and reaching out to ruffle his hair affectionately. Behind him, Chanyeol’s tail thumps happily on the floor, butting his head up eagerly into Kyungsoo’s hand. “You aren’t sick.”

“No more than normal,” Baekhyun pipes in unhelpfully.

“But,” Kyungsoo continues, pulling back and taking in Chanyeol. “I think you might want to talk to Jongin about this.” He looks at Baekhyun, and something about his smile and Baekhyun’s upside down grin makes Chanyeol nervous. Excited, but also nervous.

“But what if the feelings get worse?” Chanyeol asks, hand absently rubbing his tummy.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says, wiggling a bit on the floor. “Have you ever heard of butterflies in your tummy?”

“Of course I have,” Chanyeol says, huffing and sitting back. “But that’s…”

Baekhyun’s grin is so wide his eyes almost disappear into crescents. Kyungsoo is smiling in amusement standing next to Chanyeol. “Maybe you should tell Jongin how you feel, not us,” he says, and Chanyeol stomach flutters.

“Oh,” Chanyeol says, and the butterflies, for that is what they are now Baekhyun has named it for him, flutter all the way into his chest.

(=｀ェ´=) 

For years, the only real quiet Jongin could find was curled up in the dark of closets, hid in corners and barricading from the rest of what he knew until night arrived and no one was around. For a long time, Jongin flinched and ran from loud sounds, from yells and large gestures, from big things and strong things and he played by himself. For years, Jongin was lonely, he just didn’t know how lonely he was until he wasn’t lonely anymore.

Now, Jongin isn’t lonely, instead in a family, or the closest he thinks he’ll ever come to it, and really, this is all he needs and wants. With friends, Sehun and Zitao adopting him so fast into their games and Baekhyun teasing and joking and loud but smiling, and so kind under all his pranks, Jongin smiles every day. He isn’t worried when he wakes up to loud bangs and shouts, to yells of laughter and the thump thump of feet.

Instead, Jongin will pull himself up, and after taking a moment to try to wake up, go and jump into the fray. Those mornings, the ones where everyone is awake and all squished into the kitchen for Sunday breakfasts, are Jongin’s favorites. It’s all everyone underfoot and squabbling about what needs to get done as Kyungsoo scolds anyone for stealing bacon before it’s served.

Zitao slips past him, a few pieces poking between his lips, and winks at Jongin before disappearing beneath Minseok’s sweeping gaze. Jongin just laughs, happy and bright and full and grabbing the glasses Junmyeon passes him to put on the table. Jongin has barely managed to get to the table before arms wrap around him, pulling him quickly into a hug as a loud low laugh sounds by his shoulder.

Jongin’s smile widens, feeling warmer and less tired as he turns quickly to grin at Chanyeol’s bright expression. “Morning!” Chanyeol says, too loud and too energetic for the hour but Jongin just smiles.

“Good morning,” Jongin tells him, leaning back into Chanyeol’s hug for a moment, soaking in how warm Chanyeol is before he pulls back.

Chanyeol smiles brightly at him, before turning and calling to Kyungsoo what he can do to help and getting three different voices answering him. Jongin laughs, shaking his head and placing around glasses. Sehun and he fake around each other, the other putting out silverware and they end up fighting with knives as swords over the places until Yixing breaks them up with little ‘tuts’ of disapproval.

It’s so loud, just like Jongin has learned Sunday mornings always are, everyone trying to all reach for the food at the same time, a complete chaos that they never have for the other meals. It’s just fun, the start of the week and the day when Kyungsoo and Minseok don’t leave them at all.

It’s house day, though to Jongin, it’s like his family day. He smiles, and can’t stop over his breakfast plate as Chanyeol places a cup of tea next to his plate instead of coffee. Jongin keeps smiling all through breakfast, laughing just as loud as Chanyeol when he tries to steal his sausage from his plate and Chanyeol catches him with a scandalized look. Jongin can’t stop laughing, can’t stop smiling.

Jongin hangs back after breakfast has been polished off, Minseok dragging the others out to the temptation of ‘soccer’. Kyungsoo smiles at him gratefully, Baekhyun the only other remaining to clean up and already with his elbows deep in soapy water.

“Why aren’t you out playing soccer?” Jongin asks Baekhyun. Baekhyun opens his mouth, but the sharp look from Kyungsoo has him snapping his mouth shut. Jongin almost asks what Baekhyun did, but then drops it, instead grabbing a sponge to help clean up.

Rather than following for the game, Jongin curls up on the couch, one of the books Minseok got him the other day in his lap and his nose buried in it. It’s rare that the house is this quiet, and as Baekhyun had bounded off after dishes to catch up with the others, the silence in the house is almost eerie. Barely half way through the novel, Jongin ends up dozing off.

It’s afternoon when the door opens to the loud voices of Baekhyun and Sehun arguing, and Jongin rolls off the couch to go and slip away, eyes still crusted with sleep. Book heavy in his hands, Jongin curls up on an all too familiar bed, breathing in the soft comforting scent as the distant sounds of the house drift to his twitching ears.

Even with the house a few rooms away, Jongin smiles, feeling at ease and calm. He’s almost asleep again, when a pressure dips the edge of the bed and he cracks open an eye, peering through the late afternoon light.

Over him, Chanyeol is leaning over and looking at him curiously. His hair is all messy, sticking up in random places and he’s smiling, softer and less brash as he looks down at him. Jongin can feel the soft swell in his chest as he looks up at him, the small hum just behind his heart when he looks up at Chanyeol. “What are you doing?” Chanyeol asks, and his voice is so much quieter, so much softer than before.

It sends a pleasant shiver up Jongin’s spine and back down, making his tail curl at the tip.

“I was napping,” Jongin says, voice thick from sleep. “But now you woke me up.”

“Oops,” Chanyeol says, and his smile turns teasing, brighter and wider on his face as he reaches up and pokes one of Jongin’s ears, making it twitch. Jongin bats him away, getting a snuffled laugh, before he just reaches up and pulls Chanyeol down, tumbling into bed with him in a louder laugh. Jongin smiles though, even if it’s loud, wiggling into the space he now considers his between Chanyeol’s arms and next to his heart beat.

“Who won?” Jongin asks, nudging closer and wiggling a bit until he feels Chanyeol’s hand come up to absently pet down his back, sending a soothing shiver over his skin. Fingers curling into the fresh tee shirt on Chanyeol’s chest, Jongin lets his eyes close as he leans into the touch.

“Sehun and Zitao and Yixing,” Chanyeol sighs, voice a low rumble from his chest, muted in the quieter air of the room. “Though Zitao cheated.”

Jongin snorts, wiggling until he successfully tangles Chanyeol’s legs with his own, pressing closer, warmer. “Like you don’t cheat,” he murmurs, grinning as Chanyeol lets out an exaggerated huff. Jongin smiles, feeling the slow rumble in his chest as he begins to purr, happy and content and pleased, wrapped up with Chanyeol.

Jongin likes a lot of things about Chanyeol. He likes how he smiles, how he plays with him, how he gets excited and how funny he is, how passionate and genuine and real and caring. He likes how Chanyeol doesn’t jump on him and listens to his stories, how he teases back and lets Jongin tease him, how he ruffles his hair and pets his ears.

Jongin likes how Chanyeol is warm, how Chanyeol isn’t afraid of talking about what he doesn't like or what he does like. He likes how Chanyeol pays attention to everyone, and him, and remembers the things he learns. Jongin likes how he sometimes twitches in his sleep, and will tug Jongin closer, burying his nose in his hair and sighing so it tickles Jongin’s ears.

But the best thing, Jongin thinks, is that while Chanyeol knows how to play and is wild and loud and fun, he knows how to be quiet. He knows and respects the soft moments between the big ones, the gentle touches and the quiet voices. Jongin’s heart feels too big, too heavy and full in his chest as he slips his hands around Chanyeol’s waist and twines his fingers to fist into Chanyeol’s shirt.

Chanyeol is already breathing slowly, hands stopped petting and just draped around him, holding close. Jongin shifts, pulling back just a little, to look at him easier. He’s so relaxed in sleep, hair a mess across his forehead and it makes Jongin smile.

Shuffling a little, Jongin positions to slip into a different angle against him, and blinks when he realizes they’re in Chanyeol’s room. He must have just walked in without thinking earlier, still waking up from his earlier nap to fall into the bed he’s in almost as much as his own.

Looking back, Jongin pulls up a hand slowly to run fingers in feather soft touches over Chanyeol’s face. Over his brow, pushing his hair back, tracing his eyebrows, fluttering over his eyelashes, down his nose, hesitating over his mouth. Jongin licks his own lips, watching and wondering what Chanyeol would do if Jongin kissed him.

The idea makes him nervous, heart jumping in his chest and he curls up, nestling with his back into the bed, fingers tracing softly down Chanyeol’s neck.

Jongin has never really wanted to kiss someone before, the idea of pressing his mouth to another feeling too invasive and unwanted. This is the first time, watching Chanyeol sleep softly and with their legs still tangled and twined just like Chanyeol is in Jongin’s heart, soft and warm and too intricate to want to disturb.

Sighing, Jongin looks down, feeling Chanyeol shift in his sleep, arms tugging him closer. In the dimming light of the room, Jongin can see their legs together, Jongin’s wrapped around Chanyeol’s. Jongin smiles, finding that he likes it, seeing them so tangled together and wrapped up in each other.

Jongin wonders if Chanyeol likes it too, if he feels his heart soar when they’re together and if his smiles are just for him and refuse to go away. He wonders if Chanyeol feels excited to the point of bursting when they’re together and only has good dreams when they sleep nestled up with each other.

Jongin wonders if they can ever be as perfectly twined in each other as their legs are right now, and if Chanyeol would taste like mint toothpaste when Jongin kisses him.

Jongin wonders if Chanyeol would pull him closer, or push him away, and his heart aches with the question.

U＾ェ＾U 

A loud growl sounds through the living room, followed by a thud and then a yelp. Then a laugh and a snort of giggles before a loud whoop as Jongin pounces on him again, rolling them both across the floor in a flurry of limbs, fur, and laughter.

So far, it’s the early afternoon and Jongin has already managed to get Chanyeol into two head locks, pinned him, and sat on his head. Chanyeol considers them par for par though, considering he’d pinned Jongin two times, trapped him in his arms, and he was the one to squash him into the couch in the first place.

Jongin had kicked him off the couch and that had started the two of them to tumble around the living room with flushed cheeks and mock fighting for the past half hour. Heart beating fast, Chanyeol is grinning, watching Jongin’s movements, waiting for him to tense and give him an opening.

Instead, Jongin goes limp, flops over and looks up at him, eyes half squinted. Chanyeol almost jumps on him, taking the bait, before he sees Jongin’s legs tense and realizes Jongin would snap his legs like a spring and launch him across the room if he tried.

Pulling back, Chanyeol huffs, getting a wide grin from Jongin, before he dives on him.

Jongin screams, flailing as Chanyeol grabs his ankle and yanks, laughing in triumph as he catches Jongin off guard and drags him over the floor, the cat flailing uselessly. Letting out a loud whoop, Chanyeol launches on top of Jongin, managing to trap his arms under him as he pins him again, Jongin’s wiggling under him useless in his twisted position.

“I win!” Chanyeol tells him, grinning too wide in Jongin’s flushed face. Jongin’s hair is wild about his head, falling into his face in a mess. His lips are red from biting them as he tried to fight off Chanyeol, pretty and bruised and his eyes are alive and bright, even if they’re shining in frustration. He’s so cute, a vision of all the things that make Chanyeol so happy, his chest swelling and those butterflies fluttering intensely.

“So,” Jongin huffs, wiggling again and finally flopping back, body tense under Chanyeol as he looks up at him. His pink tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “You’re just bigger. Bully.”

“Nope,” Chanyeol says gleefully, and pushes up a bit to let Jongin free his arms, his win certified. Jongin pokes him sharply in the tummy, making Chanyeol jump. “I won fare and square. You lose!”

“Totally not fair,” Jongin protests, lower lip pouting as he finally relaxes, no longer with Chanyeol lying on him too heavy. “I would have won but-“

“Don't be a sore loser, I’m just victorious,” Chanyeol crows, and ruffles Jongin’s hair, leaning down a bit and grinning. He loves this, playing with Jongin, grabbing the pocket of time together to play and fool around and just spend time with him.

Spending time with Jongin, no matter what they do, is Chanyeol’s favorite thing. Jongin is, in many ways, Chanyeol’s favorite thing. He loves everyone in his life, Kyungsoo and Minseok and the others in the house, but Jongin…

Jongin is special.

Jerking away from Chanyeol’s rough hands, Jongin writhes, letting out a muffled laugh as Chanyeol bears down on him and his face is wrinkled in a gorgeous smile. He’s cute, radiating like this, and Chanyeol doesn’t hesitate to lean down and press his nose to nuzzle into Jongin’s neck affectionately.

Jongin jumps, letting out a shriek as his hands jump to push Chanyeol off, a loud laugh bursting from him. Chanyeol grins, invigorated as he presses more, drinking in Jongin. He pulls back for a short moment, heart pounding excited in his chest, feeling his tail wagging behind him, and catches sight of Jongin’s breathlessly happy expression, feelings high and surging, before he leans down in a rush and kisses him.

It’s a moment of stillness, the softness of Jongin’s lips, parted from laughing and smiling, warm against Chanyeol’s. It’s like a rippling breath against his skin, all of him, rather than a spark, instead just feeling even more of himself, all at once.

Then Chanyeol’s eyes widen, taking in Jongin’s own wide eyes looking back at him, and pulls back, a sudden rush of air between both of them as he realizes. His heart pounds, breaths short as he looks down at Jongin and his thoughts jumble together at the look of complete shock on his face.

Jongin is breathing quickly, mouth still parted in shock as he looks up at Chanyeol, hands still on his chest and hair a mess and stunning but Chanyeol just kissed him and he probably shouldn’t have. This is the wrong order. Chanyeol doesn’t even know if Jongin _likes_ him. At least not like that.

Where Jongin is kind of everything Chanyeol thinks about and what can make him smile without question.

Chanyeol remembers too late that he shouldn’t jump into things like this, that it’s better to go slow. Jongin startles, and scares and still jumps.

“I’m sorry!” Chanyeol fumbles, his breath catching as he looks down at Jongin’s flushed cheeks and his pink mouth and just wants to kiss him again. “I’m sorry, I-“

Jongin’s hands suddenly slide up from where they had been resting on his chest, slipping around Chanyeol’s face and he leans up, breath whooshing between them as he presses his mouth to Chanyeol’s. Kissing him.

Jongin is kissing him, and really kissing him, clearly nothing accidental about it.

It only takes a brief moment of realizing that Jongin is kissing him before Chanyeol kisses him back, leaning into the sweet press of his mouth. His lips are plush and wonderful against Chanyeol, making his fingers tingle and the swell in his chest grow even bigger.

When Jongin pulls away, he’s blushing, more than flushed, pink painting over his cheeks and a shy but delighted smile on his kissed lips as he looks up at Chanyeol. “I just- I hope that you weren’t going to say you didn’t mean to kiss me, because I really-“ his breath stutters and Jongin’s fingers twitch against Chanyeol’s face. “I’m really glad you did.”

“Me too,” Chanyeol says, still slightly in that glittering fog of happiness. “I suppose now is a good time to tell you I really,” he swallows down the bubble in his throat that feels like happy things. “Really like you.”

Jongin smiles, brilliant and cute as his eyes dance. “I really like you, too,” Jongin says, voice slightly quieter, almost shy.

It’s just as easy, with a little happier feeling in his chest, warmer and excited but just the same, only a little bigger when Jongin curls into him, smiling and happy. Chanyeol marvels a little at how he can just lean in a little, and Jongin will kiss him back. How Jongin sighs and molds into him, twining together and laughing, teasing small jokes and his fingers curl into the front of Chanyeol’s shirt.

Like he wants Chanyeol there.

Considering, Chanyeol realizes that Jongin _does_ , really _does_ want him there, that Jongin also really likes him, that his heart beats fast and happy when they’re together. He makes Jongin happy, just like Jongin makes him happy.

Chanyeol can’t stop smiling, even as Jongin shoves him into a proper position before curling up with him, wrapping their legs together and pressing into his chest, arms wrapped around him. Jongin kisses Chanyeol’s chin, then his mouth, and he’s flushed and happy and Chanyeol thinks, as a soft low content purr fills the air, that he couldn’t be happier.

(=｀ェ´=) 

It’s all so easy.

Easy to wake up, groggy with sleep, and close his eyes to doze in the warmth against his back and the limbs wrapped around him. Easy to get up after lying comfortably for a while to pad to the kitchen, where Sehun smiles at him lazily and they greet each other in soft too early to be loud tones. Easy to ignore when Baekhyun wakes up the rest of the house with himself.

Easy to help Kyungsoo make breakfast, and make sure that Minseok puts coffee grinds in the machine properly instead of fumbling about in a sleepy fog. One time when Minseok accidentally put in oatmeal was lesson enough for Jongin to help him wordlessly in the mornings.

It’s easy, the comfortable pace and slip and slide through the day, where he sits and tickles Chanyeol’s ankles with his tail at the table and listens to Zitao talk animatedly about the new videos he and Sehun found.

So easy to shove and squeeze his way onto the couch later with the others, a mass of limbs and laughing and protests, making sure Junmyeon doesn’t get squished before arms wrap around his waist and pull him into a familiar embrace.

It’s easy for Jongin to turn, smiling, to see Chanyeol holding him, warm and sure and _there_. It’s easy to relax, let himself slide into it, and lean in to steal a quick kiss before settling down. It’s easy now, when it all took such time to adjust. The patience, of those who all are pressed into the living room and share this house with him, make it a place of safety and happiness.

Curling his tail around Chanyeol’s leg beside him, curled into his side and feeling Chanyeol’s breath puff over the top of his head, tickling his ears, Jongin turns to press his face into him, breathing in. It’s so easy to wrap his arms around Chanyeol, hold him close and know to expect Chanyeol to hold him back, keep him close too.

It’s easy to forget about how he used to jump, shy away from touch, and was wary of the slightest sound when now all his life is sound, is movement and life. It’s easy to forget when he’d been lonely, when he’s so rarely lonely now. Even when he is alone, it’s different, the warmth and fullness in his chest, in his heart, reminding him he’s not really alone.

Jongin is loved, and he is happy.

He smiles, leaning up and kissing the curve of Chanyeol’s throat, getting him a warm look in return as Chanyeol jostles him a little closer, Baekhyun yelling something at the sports game they’re watching. Chanyeol doesn’t push him away, only keeping him close, happy and curled up together, Jongin pushing into his space and hooking their ankles together, keeping him.

Jongin is loved, and he is happy, and feels truly, with all of himself, that this, among the noise and the life and with kind beating hearts, is truly a home where he belongs.

（Ｕ・ω・）♡ (^‥^=)ノ 


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